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Kim Yo-jong, director of the General Affairs Department of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. / Yonhap News Agency

Kim Yo-jong, director of the General Affairs Department of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, expressed displeasure at allegations linking North Korea to the Binance hacking incident, denouncing them as a "political provocation by the United States." Experts, however, said her response lacked credibility because it offered no specific rebuttals and merely repeated emotional and rhetorical language.

On Nov. 3, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported a statement issued by Kim the previous day.

"It is clearly a serious political provocation against us for the United States to mislead international public opinion as though all cyber fraud occurring around the world were our doing," Kim said.

Responding to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) identification of the North Korean hacking group TraderTraitor as responsible for the Binance incident, Kim said, "They are attempting to brand us a 'cybercrime state.' This is not the first time the United States has tried to spread false perceptions of North Korea in the international community by linking such incidents to us."

She condemned the allegations as "an impure attempt to damage the international image of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, undermine its dignity and national prestige, and violate its sovereignty."

"The international community needs to recall that immediately after taking office last year, the current U.S. administration announced that it would confiscate illegally stolen cryptocurrency assets and establish a national strategic reserve with them," Kim said.

"If we consider who would ultimately receive all the money if the funds were recovered, we may find clues as to who is behind this hacking incident," she claimed.

"This incident has once again confirmed Washington's hostile stance toward us. We are closely watching the provocations the United States is directing against our country," Kim said.

"There are various matters we may need to reconsider in light of the extremely displeasing hostile attitude of the United States," she added.

Although North Korea has previously denied responsibility when accused of involvement in cyberattacks, observers say it is unusual for a senior official to issue a statement on such allegations.

Some analysts also suggest that Kim, who oversees foreign relations, may have issued the statement to gain leverage ahead of a possible U.S.-North Korea summit.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said, "With sanctions against North Korea continuing for an extended period, cryptocurrency theft is a key alternative channel for the country to secure funds. Kim appears to have reacted strongly out of concern that additional measures could deal a blow to North Korea."

"Kim has failed to offer a convincing rebuttal to the specific evidence presented by the FBI and has merely repeated emotional and rhetorical language. Simply expressing dissatisfaction is unlikely to persuade the international community," he added.

Yang Moo-jin, a distinguished professor at the University of North Korean Studies, also said, "Her remark that there are various matters to reconsider regarding the United States' hostile attitude toward North Korea sends a message that Pyongyang intends to strategically link the issue to matters such as U.S.-North Korea dialogue."

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, "There was no response to the Bybit incident, but this time Kim responded immediately in her own name, just two days after the FBI's assessment. This shows how seriously North Korea views the matter. Whether Kim issues another statement could also provide an indication of the prospects for U.S.-North Korea dialogue."

"Given her use of the noncommittal expression 'reconsider,' there appears to be something at stake between North Korea and the United States that Pyongyang particularly values. The message is that Washington should not use this incident to pressure North Korea, but that the door to dialogue has not been closed," Hong added.

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol