North Korea denied allegations that it took part in recent international cryptocurrency hacking and cybercrime cases, calling the claims false information. The Foreign Ministry stated on Sunday through the Korean Central News Agency. It accused the United States of using the allegations to damage Pyongyang’s image and extend its hostile policy toward the country.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said North Korea would not tolerate the accusations. The ministry called the claims “absurd slander” and said Washington had created a distorted view of the country. The ministry also accused U.S. agencies, media outlets, and what it called “plot-making organizations” of spreading claims about a nonexistent cyber threat. It said those claims served political goals.
At the same time, Pyongyang accused Washington of presenting itself as a victim while controlling the global information technology infrastructure. It also claimed the United States carries out cyberattacks against other countries.
The ministry said U.S. claims about North Korean cyber threats form part of Washington’s broader hostile policy. It added that North Korea would protect its national interests and citizens’ rights.
Even as Pyongyang rejects the claims, the international community has repeatedly linked North Korea-backed hacking groups to major cyberattacks and crypto thefts. The Lazarus Group remains central to many of those cases.
The group drew global attention after the 2014 Sony Pictures hack. Since then, investigators have linked it to the 2016 Bangladesh Central Bank heist and the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack.
More recently, Lazarus appeared as a possible actor behind the April 18 hack of the decentralized finance platform KelpDAO. Reports said the incident involved about $290 million in cryptocurrency. The FBI also said North Korea stole about $1.5 billion in virtual assets from crypto exchange Bybit in February last year. It linked the case to a campaign known as “TraderTraitor.”
Read More: North Korea Tied to Record $290M Kelp DAO Crypto Hack
Washington has accused North Korea of expanding cyber operations to steal billions of dollars in virtual assets. U.S. officials say the funds help Pyongyang access foreign currency despite sanctions. The Economic Times, citing AFP, reported that a United Nations panel estimated North Korean cyberattacks had stolen more than $3 billion in crypto since 2017.
Crypto security firms have also reported rising losses tied to North Korea-linked actors. TRM Labs said North Korean hackers stole about $577 million through April 2026.
That figure represented 76% of all crypto hack losses during the period, according to TRM Labs. The firm tied most of the amount to the Drift Protocol breach and the KelpDAO exploit.
South Korean authorities also reached similar findings in earlier cases. In November 2024, police said hackers linked to North Korea’s military intelligence agency carried out a 2019 Ethereum heist worth about $41.5 million at the time.
North Korea has rejected claims linking it to global crypto hacking cases, calling the accusations politically driven. Still, U.S. officials, investigators, and crypto security firms continue to connect North Korea-linked actors to major incidents involving Lazarus Group, Bybit, and KelpDAO.