The White House spokesman announced the sanctioning of North Korea for the “destructive and coercive cyber attack on Sony.”

“Today, the President issued an Executive Order (E.O.) authorizing additional sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This E.O. is a response to the Government of North Korea’s ongoing provocative, destabilizing, and repressive actions and policies, particularly its destructive and coercive cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment,” reads the press secretary’s statement.