(LEAD) Trump says U.S. will talk to N. Korea if it is behind Binance hack

(ATTN: RECASTS throughout with Trump's remarks; CHANGES headline, dateline)
By Chang Dong-woo

WASHINGTON/SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States would talk to North Korea if it is found to be behind the theft of more than US$6 billion from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Trump made the remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said North Korea was responsible for the theft of virtual assets from Binance on or about Oct. 29.

"I'm not concerned. We're learning about it," he said. "We don't know if it's North Korea, but if it is, we'll talk to North Korea about it."

In a cyber alert, the FBI identified the North Korean cyber operation as "TraderTraitor," a name previously associated with cryptocurrency thefts carried out by North Korean hackers.

The agency said it had observed the hackers converting stolen assets primarily into Ethereum, a major cryptocurrency, in cooperation with the U.S. Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation division.

The FBI warned that the hackers were expected to further launder the stolen assets through decentralized finance platforms and cryptocurrency exchange services that allow users to quickly swap one digital asset for another.

The three U.S. agencies urged cryptocurrency exchanges, blockchain operators, analytics firms and other virtual asset service providers to block transactions involving digital wallet addresses used by the North Korean hackers to launder the stolen funds.

The FBI's announcement follows an assessment by U.S. blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, which earlier attributed the estimated $6.36 billion Binance theft to TraderTraitor.

Trump's remarks come amid persistent speculation over the possibility of renewed diplomacy between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump and Kim met three times during Trump's first presidential term.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Trump remains open to talks with Kim if Pyongyang is willing to discuss issues of concern to Washington and its allies, though no meeting has been scheduled.

odissy@yna.co.kr

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)