North Korea reportedly rewards top hackers with Pyongyang apartments after alleged Binance heist

Elite hackers tied to the regime reportedly earn spacious homes and hard currency awards, even as Pyongyang denies any role in the $6.3 billion theft North Korea’s best hackers reportedly get a corner office, of sorts. Reuters reports that the regime rewards its top cyber operatives with spacious apartments in Pyongyang and large hard currency awards. The timing is awkward for a government that insists it had nothing to do with the theft of $6.3 billion from Binance. Officials in Pyongyang deny the FBI’s attribution. The perks package, meanwhile, suggests a well-funded program that knows exactly what it is paying for. What happened at Binance On October 29, 2026, Binance lost approximately $6.3 to $6.36 billion from its hot wallets. Hot wallets are the internet-connected accounts exchanges use to process everyday withdrawals. They work like a cash register rather than a bank vault: convenient, but more exposed. The funds moved fast. The transfers reportedly unfolded in roughly 20 minutes and spanned at least 10 blockchains. Spreading stolen assets across that many networks makes them harder to trace and freeze. The FBI and blockchain investigators have pointed to TraderTraitor, a N...