DPRK denies attack, offers to help in US probe of Sony hack

World Today

In its national news bulletin Pyongyang denies it was the source of the cyberattack against Sony, and called for a joint investigation with Washington. CCTV America’s Nathan King reported this story from Washington, D.C.

“If the U.S. refuses to accept our proposal for a joint investigation and continues to talk about some kind of response by dragging us into the case, it must remember there will be grave consequences,” a DPRK official said in a public statement.

That warning follows U.S. President Barack Obama’s statement on Friday that he believed Sony erred in canceling the release of the film “The Interview” following threats. Obama also threatened a proportional response to the DPRK at an unspecified time.

Sony Pictures meanwhile is rejecting criticism from the president and Hollywood that the company caved to cyber terrorism. In an interview with CNN, SONY’s entertainment chief executive said he had no choice after terrorism threats were made against movie theaters set to show the film.

“At that point in time, we had no alternative but to not proceed with the theatrical release on the 25th of December,” Michael Lynton, CEO Sony Pictures said.

Sony has also suspended public tours of its studios until the new year. But while the FBI has said is believes the DPRK was behind the attack, hard evidence has yet to be released, leaving some experts skeptical that Pyongyang was behind it.

“So, I hear about the U.S. government, unnamed, un-sourced, people that refuse to identify themselves, pointing the finger at North Korea, and I’m skeptical. I want to see the evidence. I think they should be transparent,” Kevin Mitnick, a computer hacker and cybersecurity expert said.