President Obama issued sanctions Friday against North Korea in response to the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment, punishing individuals and government entities in Pyongyang.
“We take seriously North Korea’s attack that aimed to create destructive financial effects on a U.S. company and to threaten artists and other individuals with the goal of restricting their right to free expression,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. “As the president has said, our response to North Korea’s attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment will be proportional, and will take place at a time and in a manner of our choosing. Today’s actions are the first aspect of our response.”
The Obama administration recently blamed North Korea for the Sony hack and subsequent terror threat against movie theaters planning to screen “The Interview,” a comedy about an assassination plot against Kim Jong Un.
A North Korean intelligence agency, arms dealer and other government officials are subject to the sanctions. Those being punished are banned from conducting transactions in the U.S. financial system, and Americans cannot do business with them.
The Reconnaissance General Bureau, Korea Mining Development Trading Corp. and Korea Tangun Trading Corp. also have been slapped with economic penalties.
Some cyber analysts have questioned whether North Korea was involved in the Sony hack, but the new sanctions show the Obama administration is not backing down from its original assessment.
“Today’s actions are driven by our commitment to hold North Korea accountable for its destructive and destabilizing conduct,” said Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. “Even as the FBI continues its investigation into the cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment, these steps underscore that we will employ a broad set of tools to defend U.S. businesses and citizens, and to respond to attempts to undermine our values or threaten the national security of the United States.”
