Kim Jong Un's sister calls the FBI's Binance accusation "absurd" as North Korea denies the $6.3 billion theft

North Korea has publicly rejected the FBI's finding that it was behind the $6.3 billion theft from Binance, the largest crypto hack on record. In a statement published by North Korean state media on Tuesday morning in Pyongyang, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un and a ruling party official, called the US allegations "absurd rhetoric and nothing new", according to Reuters.

She said the accusation amounted to a grave political provocation, according to Reuters and NK News, and that North Korea now had issues to reconsider because of what she called a hostile US attitude, Reuters reported. The Block, citing South Korea's Yonhap news agency, said she accused the FBI of trying to brand North Korea a cyber criminal state. The FBI did not immediately respond to The Block's request for comment.

The FBI said on Saturday that TraderTraitor, a hacking unit it describes as state-sponsored, carried out the attack, and that it had seen the group convert stolen assets into ether and expected more laundering, Reuters reported. Three firms, among them TRM Labs, have attributed the theft to North Korean actors, according to The Block. North Korea has denied all past allegations linking it to crypto theft, and cybersecurity experts say the proceeds help pay for its weapons programmes, Reuters noted.

The statement lands as Binance says it has replaced about 95% of the stolen assets from its own funds, according to The Block. ABC News noted that Pyongyang has not answered President Trump's offers to resume summit diplomacy.