North Korea Fires Missiles, Rejects FBI Hack Claim — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- North Korea fired several missiles toward its eastern waters on Nov. 4, 2026; South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Seoul remained ready to repel potential provocations while South Korean and U.S. authorities analyzed the launch details.
- Kim Yo Jong called the FBI announcement that North Korean hackers were responsible for the Binance hack a “trite provocation” and said Pyongyang had no need to resume dialogue with the United States.
- Binance reported on Oct. 30 that hackers had stolen more than $6 billion in what appeared to be the largest cryptocurrency heist on record; the FBI later attributed the theft to a group known as TraderTraitor, which it said was also behind last year’s $1.5 billion Bybit hack.
- North Korea accelerated weapons tests in recent months, and its Nov. 4 launches came as U.S. midterm votes were being counted; observers said the display was likely meant to pressure Washington to drop what Pyongyang calls its hostile policy and offer concessions to restore ties between Trump and Kim Jong Un.
- Kim Jong Un visited Nampho Shipyard; KCNA said he expressed satisfaction over a warship under construction that it described as “incomparably huge” compared with North Korea’s 5,000-tonne destroyers, and Kim had previously said a 10,000-tonne strategic guided missile cruiser was planned.
- North Korea denied responsibility for September mine blasts that wounded three South Korean soldiers, warned of retaliation if provoked after Seoul demanded an apology, and later threatened to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts and deploy new weapons systems along the border.
Why it matters: The FBI attribution of a $6 billion Binance theft is a concrete point of contention, but Kim Yo Jong’s refusal to negotiate leaves Trump’s stated interest in restoring ties without a diplomatic channel. Seoul faces the immediate security response to several missiles while its demand for an apology over three South Korean soldiers wounded in September remains unanswered.
Ask SkimNews
