WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has said it has obtained court authorization to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency purportedly stolen by North Korean hackers from crypto exchange Binance last month. The $1.2 billion subject to court-authorized seizure or restraint is part of more than $2.7 billion in assets frozen by U.S. authorities and private-sector partners, following the theft of over $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance, according to a department release issued Thursday. The hackers, identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a group called TraderTraitor, are continuing to launder the stolen assets through cryptocurrency bridges, mixers and exchanges, while U.S. authorities work to trace and recover the funds, according to the department. "North Korea's government bankrolls its rogue regime and illicit weapons program through cryptocurrency theft," said M. Scott Proctor, principal deputy assistant attorney general for national security. "Today's announcement shows that America will fight back against that corrupt regime's eff