FBI investigators have linked the costly Sony Pictures cyber attack, which exposed sensitive corporate information including terrorist threats against moviegoers, to North Korea. The hack also prompted the studio to cancel the release of “The Interview,” which centers on a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
US authorities said the hacking bore “strong similarities” to a North Korean attack on South Korean banks and other facilities last year.
The safeguarded, reclusive nation has publicly denied involvement in the cyber-hack.
The defense department in North Korea asserted on Sunday, Dec. 21 that the US government was “deeply involved” in the making of “The Interview,” and even threatened to “blow up” the White House, the Pentagon and other US targets if Washington launched an assault to retaliate for the hack.
The crisis has rippled out into international relations, business strategies, Hollywood gossip, and party politics. Over the weekend different sides kept sparring over who was to blame, with President Obama accusing North Korea of “cybervandalism” and North Korean officials claiming the US was really behind it all.
On Monday, Dec. 22 China, a close ally of North Korea, disclosed that Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured US Secretary of State John Kerry in a phone conversation that the Chinese government “opposes all forms of cyber-attacks and cyber terrorism,” omitting any mention of North Korea.
Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying cautioned against “making any conclusions” over who was responsible for the hack before all the facts were accounted for.
“China will handle it in accordance with relevant international and Chinese laws according to the facts,” Chunying told reporters.
The United Nations Security Council is being urged to refer North Korea’s human rights record to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands for “consideration of prosecution of those responsible for alleged atrocities,” including crimes against humanity brought against Kim as the one responsible.
North Korean officials have expressed their outrage, refusing to participate in the UN Security Council debate. Pyongyang diplomat Kim Song told the Associated Press that if the council takes action against the nation, “maybe we will take necessary measures.” A further aggressive statement from the National Defense Commission in Pyongyang offered no details of the possible response, but warned that the country’s 1.2-million member army would be ready to use all warfare against the US.
The Defense Commission denied having launched cyber-attacks on both South Korea and the Sony studio, saying it was unaware of the hackers’—who call themselves the “Guardians of Peace—place of residence.
However, the commission praised the hackers for the “righteous deed,” saying the film was an incitement to terrorism, and Sony was in “serious trouble and paid a due price.”
“Nothing is more serious miscalculation than guessing that just a single movie production company is the target of this counteraction,” officials said openly. “Our target is all the citadels of the US imperialists who earned the bitterest grudge of all Koreans…the army and people [of North Korea] are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the US in all war spaces, including cyberwarfare space, to blow up those citadels.”
There was no word from President Obama on how the White House would respond to the threat.
Last month, North Korea had threatened to carry out further nuclear tests after the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee voted to bring Pyongyang’s human rights record before the Council for discussion.
President Obama said that there is no indication that North Korea was “acting in conjunction” with China or another ally. The nation had also proposed a “joint investigation” with the US into the true source of the cyber-attack.
Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton defended the company’s actions, saying they are still considering a different kind of release for “The Interview,” possibly on the Internet, although no official decisions for distribution have been made.
“We have always had every desire to have the American public see this movie,” Lynton said.
The Republican National Committee urged cinemas to show “The Interview” regardless of the threats. RNC chairman Reince Priebus wrote to movie theatre owners, “As a sign of my commitment, if you agree to show this movie, I will send a note to the Republican Party’s millions of donors and supporters urging them to buy a ticket—not to support one movie or Hollywood, but to show North Korea that we cannot be bullied into giving up our freedom.”
(With reports from CNN, Los Angeles Times)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek December 24-26, 2014 Sec. A pg.5)
