N Korea fires multiple missiles, denies US claims on Binance hack

What the report says

North Korea fired several missiles into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, according to South Korea’s military, shortly after Pyongyang rejected U.S. allegations that it was responsible for a major cryptocurrency theft involving Binance. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected multiple launches from the Sondok area on North Korea’s east coast and said South Korean and U.S. officials were reviewing the details.

The launches were the fourth weapons test attributed to North Korea in the past month. They came one day after the North Korean government dismissed an FBI statement blaming North Korean hackers for a theft of more than $6bn in crypto assets, calling the accusation a provocation. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said hackers stole the funds in what appears to be the biggest crypto heist on record, and the FBI later linked the case to a group it identified as TraderTraitor.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said North Korea viewed the U.S. claims as part of Washington’s hostile policy and rejected talks with the United States unless that approach changed. Her comments were reported alongside renewed diplomatic references to previous Trump-Kim outreach and recent calls by the U.S., South Korea and Japan for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

More broadly, the episode fits a pattern of North Korea using missile tests and sharp public statements to signal resistance while trying to strengthen its bargaining position. The article also notes that North Korea has continued testing a range of weapons this year, including cruise missiles, drones and other systems.