North Korea threatens attacks on US over Sony hacking
North Korea threatens the United States, calling it a “cesspool of terrorism” and accusing the Obama administration of being behind the satirical film The Interview.
The comments are an escalation in the row over the hacking of Sony Pictures, which the FBI blamed on North Korea last week.
In a statement released via the state news agency KCNA, North Korea said its “toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole US mainland”.
“The army and people of the DPRK are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the US in all war spaces including cyber warfare space to blow up those citadels,” the 1,600 word statement read.
On Friday, President Obama said the White House was weighing a “proportional response” to the cyber-attacks. North Korea said today its response would “by far” surpass the “‘symmetric counteraction’ declared by Obama”.
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North Korea maintains it has nothing to do with the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures: “We do not know who or where they [the hackers] are but we can surely say that they are supporters and sympathisers with the DPRK.”
On Sunday, Obama said he was considering putting North Korea back on America’s list of countries that sponsor terrorism following the cyber-attack, after it was removed six years ago.
The DPRK has clear evidence that the U.S. administration was deeply involved in the making of such dishonest reactionary movie KCNA statement
Sony withdrew its parody film The Interview after a cyber-hack which led to the leak of embarrassing internal emails.
The film depicts the fictional assassination of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korea had urged the US to join an investigation into the cyber-attack, and warned of “grave consequences” if Washington refused to agree.
Hollywood actors have criticised Sony’s decision to drop the film, with George Clooney calling for the film to be released online.