Seoul, Nov 5:
North Korea fired several missiles towards waters off its eastern coast on Wednesday, hours after rejecting US allegations that it was responsible for a cryptocurrency theft worth more than $6 billion from global exchange Binance, escalating tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from the Sondok area on North Korea’s eastern coast towards the Sea of Japan. South Korean and US authorities were examining the type and number of projectiles involved. The launches marked another demonstration of Pyongyang’s expanding weapons programme.
The missile tests followed a statement by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissing the FBI’s allegations linking North Korea to the Binance cyberattack. She described Washington’s accusations as a political provocation and said Pyongyang had no reason to resume negotiations with the United States while its hostile policy continued.
The FBI had attributed the theft of approximately $6.3 billion in cryptocurrency to TraderTraitor, a hacking group linked to North Korea. The investigation has drawn renewed attention to Pyongyang’s alleged use of cybercrime to generate revenue amid international sanctions.
North Korea has consistently denied involvement in cryptocurrency thefts and other cyberattacks. However, cybersecurity analysts have repeatedly linked North Korean hacking groups to major digital asset thefts. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimated that 89 per cent of cryptocurrency hacking losses in 2026 were linked to North Korea.
The Binance incident has also unsettled the cryptocurrency market. The exchange’s customers withdrew a net $4.72 billion following the attack, prompting the company to expand withdrawals and introduce measures to restore confidence.
The latest missile launches come as US President Donald Trump has expressed interest in reviving diplomatic engagement with Kim Jong Un. The two leaders met three times during Trump’s first presidency, but negotiations collapsed in 2019 over disagreements surrounding sanctions and North Korea’s nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang has continued testing cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons and other military systems. Analysts say the demonstrations could strengthen its negotiating position ahead of any possible engagement with Washington.
The United States, South Korea and Japan have repeatedly called for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. The latest developments underline the continuing difficulty of restarting diplomacy amid growing military and cyber-related tensions.