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North Korea
North Korea has made progress in creating deliverable nuclear weapons, South Korea’s defense ministry has speculated.
In a white paper, the ministry said enough time had passed since North Korea’s first nuclear test for it to have acquired the technology.
A ministry official, however, told the Yonhap News agency that there was no intelligence to support the assessment.
Meanwhile North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he was open to talks with South Korea.
“North Korea’s capabilities of miniaturizing nuclear weapons appear to have reached a significant level,” the paper said.
Miniaturizing a nuclear device would allow it to be fitted on the tip of a long-range missile which could, in theory, reach South Korea or even the US.
An unnamed defense ministry official told Yonhap: “We don’t have any intelligence that North Korea completed the miniaturization.”
The official said acquiring such technology took between two and seven years, and it had been eight years since North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.
Pyongyang has conducted three nuclear tests with the most recent in February 2013.
Expert opinion is split on how much progress North Korea’s ballistic missile development program has made.
The white paper also said that North Korea was “presumed to have [missiles] capabilities that could threaten the US mainland, having fired off long-range missiles five times”.
However, the official said no signs had been seen yet that Pyongyang had put long range missiles into service.
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In his speech at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai has condemned the “vicious” cyber attack that led to it suspending the release of its film The Interview.
The Guardians of Peace hacker group attacked Sony in a bid to stop the release of the movie.
Kazuo Hirai said he was proud of those who stood up against the “extortionist” tactics of the hackers.
“Both Sony, former employees and current employees were the victim of one of the most vicious and malicious cyber attacks in recent history,” said Kazuo Hirai in off-the-cuff remarks made just before Sony’s press conference at CES began.
Speaking to the press, Kazuo Hirai said it would be “remiss” of him if he did not talk about the events of the last few weeks.
Sony has suffered a series of revelations orchestrated by the Guardians of Peace which gained access to the company’s network and stole huge amounts of internal information.
Photo AFP
This led to movies being pirated, personal information being shared and millions of private emails published.
The attacks were carried out to convince Sony to halt the release of The Interview – a comedy about journalists recruited to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The movie’s subject matter led US authorities to blame North Korea for the cyber assault, but many security experts have expressed doubt about this theory.
Sony did withdraw The Interview before its planned release, but it is now available to view online and is on show at some cinemas. It made about $15 million through downloads alone over its first three days of distribution.
“I have to say that I’m very proud of all the employees, and certainly the partners who stood up against the extortionist efforts of criminals, and worked tirelessly, sometimes for days on end to bring you The Interview,” said Kazuo Hirai.
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North Korea has attacked new US sanctions in response to a major cyber-attack against Sony Pictures.
The US placed sanctions on three North Korean organizations and 10 individuals after the FBI blamed Pyongyang for the cyber-attack.
North Korea praised the attack on Sony but denied any involvement in it.
It came as Sony Pictures was about to release The Interview, a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Sony initially cancelled plans to screen The Interview, before deciding to release it online and at a limited number of cinemas.
The sanctions imposed on January 2 are believed to be the first time the US has moved to punish any country for cyber-attacks on an American company.
Announcing them, White House officials told reporters the move was in response to the Sony hack, but the targets of the sanctions were not directly involved.
In response, North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency on January 4 quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying: “The policy persistently pursued by the US to stifle the DPRK [North Korea], groundlessly stirring up bad blood towards it, would only harden its will and resolution to defend the sovereignty of the country.
“The persistent and unilateral action taken by the White House to slap <<sanctions>> against the DPRK patently proves that it is still not away from inveterate repugnancy and hostility toward the DPRK.”
US sanctions were already in place over North Korea’s nuclear program but analysts said the new sanctions were designed to further isolate the country’s defense industry.
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In his New Year address, Kim Jong-un has offered to hold talks at the highest level with South Korea.
The North Korean leader was giving his New Year message broadcast on state television.
Kim Jong-un said if Pyongyang’s conditions were met, he would even be prepared to hold a summit meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
South Korea said the move was “meaningful”, and talks should include “practical and frank discussions on all issues of mutual concern”.
“Our government hopes for dialogue between the South and North Korean authorities in the near future without limits on format,” said Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae, quoted by the South’s Yonhap news agency.
On December 29, Ryoo Kihl-jae had called for dialogue to resume on issues including reunions for families separated by the Korean War, adding that he hoped North Korea would respond positively.
Ryoo Kihl-jae offered to meet in Seoul, Pyongyang or any other South or North Korean city agreed with North Korean officials.
In his address, Kim Jong-un said the “tragic” division of Korea could no longer be tolerable and acceptable.
“Depending on the mood and circumstances, there is no reason not to hold a high-level summit,” he said.
Later in his speech, Kim Jong-un condemned joint US-South Korean defense drills for deepening tensions on the peninsula.
“In a tense mood of such war-preparatory exercises, trust-based dialogue can’t be possible, and North-South relations can’t move forward,” he said.
North Korea has previously seen South Korea’s unification plans as an attempt to take it over.
The last formal high-level talks were in February 2014, leading to rare reunions for Korean families separated for over 60 years since the end of 1950-1953 Korean War.
More talks planned in October were dropped after North Korea accused South Korea of not doing enough to stop activists sending anti-Northern leaflets across the border on balloons.
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Sony’s controversial comedy The Interview has become the company’s most-downloaded title of all time, just 4 days after its release on December 24.
The Interview was downloaded more than 2 million times as of December 27, making back $15 million, a third of its $44 million budget.
The movie, about a fictional American plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, had previously been pulled from release over security fears.
It angered North Korea and may have triggered a cyber attack on Sony.
The hack, from a group calling itself the Guardians of Peace, led to the leaking of confidential information including upcoming movie scripts, confidential emails and actors’ salaries.
Sony halted the release after unspecified threats of attacks against theaters.
The FBI later said its investigation into the hacking attack pointed the finger at North Korea. The country denied involvement, but described the hack as a “righteous deed”.
Sony said in a statement on December 28 that The Interview was made available in the US and Canada through Google services YouTube and Play, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and its dedicated website in HD versions for 48-hour rental at $5.99 and for purchase at $14.99.
The Interview made $15 million in its first three days on sale.
There was also a “strong turnout” for the movie’s limited theater release, after major US chains backed out of screening it.
Sony’s move to cancel The Interview‘s release had garnered criticism in the US including from President Barack Obama, who said it meant freedom of expression was under threat.
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South Korea’s Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae has offered to resume high-level talks with North Korea in January 2015.
The talks are meant to focus on a range of issues, to prepare for a “peaceful unification”.
Ryoo Kihl-jae said he especially hoped to discuss the reunion of families separated by the Korean War more than 60 years ago.
There has been no response yet from Pyongyang.
North Korea has previously seen South Korea’s unification plans as an attempt to take it over.
“North and South Korea should meet face to face to draw up a plan for a peaceful unification,” Ryoo Kihl-jae told a news conference.
“For this purpose, we make an official proposal for the North Korean government to have a conversation about mutual concerns between North and South in January next year.”
Ryoo Kihl-jae said he hoped North Korea “responds positively” to the suggestion.
He offered to meet in Seoul, Pyongyang or any other South or North Korean city agreed with North Korean officials.
The last formal high-level talks were in February, leading to rare reunions for Korean families.
More talks planned in October were dropped after North Korea accused South Korea of not doing enough to stop activists sending anti-Northern leaflets across the border on balloons.
North Korea and South Korea have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
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Yoon Mi-rae has threatened to sue Sony Pictures Entertainment for using one of her songs in the controversial movie The Interview without permission, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The Interview is a comedy about the assassination attempt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The South Korean singer’s song, Pay Day, is said to have been used in a scene in which the actor playing the North Korean leader drinks and plays billiards with women who are wearing underwear.
The Interview had its launch cancelled after a major cyber attack at the hands of a group calling itself the Guardians of Peace.
The hackers threatened to carry out a terrorist attack on cinemas that showed the film on its scheduled release date of Christmas Day.
The US accused the North Koreans of being behind the hack, something the country denies.
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North Korea has berated President Barack Obama over the release of The Interview movie in the US.
The Interview is about a fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korea’s National Defense Commission (NDC) also accused the US of shutting down the country’s internet – and used a racial slur to describe the “reckless” Barack Obama.
Sony Pictures had originally pulled The Interview after a cyber-attack and threats.
The company later reconsidered, releasing the comedy on Christmas Day.
A number of critics – including President Barack Obama – had warned that freedom of expression was under threat if the movie was shelved.
The controversial film was shown in some US cinemas and online, with several hundred independent theaters coming forward and offering to show the film. However, larger cinemas decided not screen it.
Kim Jong-un’s potential difficulty is that The Interview – which casts the North Korean leader as a malign, vain buffoon – has been widely reviewed as funny and astute.
In a statement on Saturday, an NDC spokesman denounced the US for screening the “dishonest and reactionary movie hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK [North Korea] and agitating terrorism”.
President Barack Obama, the statement said, “is the chief culprit who forced the Sony Pictures Entertainment to indiscriminately distribute the movie”, blackmailing cinemas in the US.
It added: “Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest.”
The NDC also accused also Washington of “groundlessly linking the unheard of hacking at the Sony Pictures Entertainment to the DPRK”.
Sony Pictures had initially pulled the film after suffering an unprecedented hacking attack at the hands of a group calling itself the Guardians of Peace.
The hackers also threatened to carry out a terrorist attack on cinemas showed the film on its scheduled release date of Christmas Day.
Last week, the FBI said its analysis pointed the finger at North Korea. However, many cyber-security experts have come forward to dispute this assertion.
At the time, North Korea denied being behind the attack but described it as a “righteous deed”.
North Korea subsequently suffered a severe internet outage.
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The Interview has opened in some US theaters and online, after a cyber-attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment and threats to moviegoers over its release.
Sony Pictures had originally pulled The Interview, a movie about a fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but it reconsidered after critics – including President Barack Obama.
The studio said freedom of expression was under threat.
Some movie theaters organized midnight showings for Americans determined to see The Interview on the big screen.
Several hundred independent theaters across the US have come forward offering to show the title after larger cinemas decided not to screen it following threats.
Lee Peterson, manager of Cinema Village in New York, told Reuters news agency it was a matter of principle to show the film.
“Obviously we would like to make money from the movie, as we would with any movie, but it’s important to take a stand about freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to see movies.”
Photo Canadian Press
The film is also being offered through a dedicated website and via Google services YouTube and Play, and Microsoft’s Xbox Video platform, but only in the US.
Sony Pictures initially pulled the film after suffering an unprecedented hacking attack at the hands of a group calling itself the Guardians of Peace.
Last week, the FBI said its analysis pointed the finger at North Korea. However, many cybersecurity experts have come forward to dispute this assertion.
North Korea denied being behind the attack but described it as a “righteous deed”.
The hackers threatened to carry out a terrorist attack on theaters showed the film on its scheduled release date of Christmas Day. After many cinemas pulled out, Sony cancelled the release.
That move was described by President Barack Obama as a mistake.
Sony Chairman Michael Lynton said digital distribution had now been chosen to reverse some of that damage.
“It was essential for our studio to release this movie, especially given the assault upon our business and our employees by those who wanted to stop free speech.
“We chose the path of digital distribution first so as to reach as many people as possible on opening day, and we continue to seek other partners and platforms to further expand the release.”
The Interview features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists granted an audience with Kim Jong-un. The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate the North Korean leader.
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The Interview has been released online after Sony cyber-attack and a row over its release.
The Sony Pictures movie is being offered through a dedicated website – seetheinterview.com – as well as via Google and Microsoft but is only available in the US.
Sony had previously pulled the film, whose plot centers on a plan to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The cancellation had been criticized by President Barack Obama.
Since then, several hundred independent cinemas across the US have come forward offering to show the title.
The digital deal means the film is available through Google services YouTube and Play, and Microsoft’s Xbox Video platform.
The film costs $5.99 to rent, or $14.99 to buy, Sony said.
“It has always been Sony’s intention to have a national platform on which to release this film,” said Michael Lynton, chairman and chie executive of Sony Entertainment, in a statement.
A Sony spokesman said the release was US-only “at this point”.
Shortly after going live, the seetheinterview.com website was rendered inaccessible, most likely due to heavy traffic.
Sony Pictures had suffered an unprecedented hacking attack at the hands of a group calling itself the Guardians of Peace.
Last week, the FBI said its analysis pointed the finger at North Korea. However, many cybersecurity experts have come forward to dispute this assertion.
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North Korea satire The Interview will be screened by a limited number of movie theaters on Christmas Day, Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced.
The move comes just a week after Sony cancelled its release after suffering a devastating cyber attack.
Sony Chairman Michael Lynton said he was “excited” that The Interview, about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, would now be seen.
Two movie theaters in Atlanta and Austin have already revealed screenings.
They said via social media that Sony Pictures had authorized them to show the film, which has caused escalating tension between the US and North Korea.
The US has blamed North Korea for the Sony hack, which has led to sensitive data and unreleased film material being leaked.
Photo Getty Images
In the wake of threats against cinema chains that had planned to screen The Interview, Sony announced that the film’s release would be pulled completely.
Major movie chains in the US are thought unlikely to take part in the release at this stage.
Michael Lynton said: “We are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theatres so this movie can reach the largest possible audience.”
He also said he “hoped it would be the first step of the film’s release”.
Sony has yet to reveal further details of its release plans, but there is also speculation that video on-demand (VOD) will be offered as part of the package.
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In a fiery statement, North Korea has threatened unspecified attacks on the US in an escalation of a war of words following the Sony Pictures Entertainment cyber-attacks.
North Korea warned of strikes against the White House, Pentagon and “the whole US mainland”.
The communist country denies US claims it is behind cyber-attacks linked to The Interview movie that features the fictional killing of its leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korea has a long history of issuing threats against the US.
The latest statement comes days after the US formally accused North Korea of orchestrating a massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures.
“The army and people of the DPRK [North Korea] are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the US in all war spaces including cyber warfare space,” a long statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency said.
“Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole US mainland, the cesspool of terrorism, by far surpassing the ‘symmetric counteraction’ declared by Obama.”
It also accuses President Barack Obama of “recklessly making the rumor” that North Korea was behind the Sony attack.
The statement also said it “estimates highly the righteous action” taken by the hackers of Sony, although it is “not aware of where they are”.
The hack resulted in unreleased films and the script for the next James Bond film being leaked online.
Details of Sony finances and private emails between producers and Hollywood figures were also released.
The eventual fallout from the attack saw Sony cancel the Christmas release of The Interview, a comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
That decision followed threats made by a group that hacked into Sony’s servers and leaked sensitive information and emails.
North Korea has denied being behind the attacks, and offered to hold a joint inquiry with the US.
The US turned down the offer, and President Barack Obama said it was considering putting North Korea back on its list of terrorism sponsors, a move that further angered Pyongyang.
North Korea had been on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism for two decades until the White House removed it in 2008, as part of now-stalled negotiations relating to Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
In an interview with CNN on December 21, Barack Obama promised to respond “proportionately” to the cyber-attack.
“I’ll wait to review what the findings are,” he said, adding that he did not think the attack “was an act of war”.
The US has reportedly also asked China to curb cyber-attacks by North Korea.
China is North Korea’s close ally and is seen as the nation with the most influence over Pyongyang.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation with his US counterpart John Kerry on December 21 in which they discussed the Sony row.
Wang Yi said China was “against all forms of cyber-attacks and cyber-terrorism” but did not refer directly to North Korea.
In a statement posted on China’s foreign ministry’s website on December 22, Wang Yi said that China “opposes any country or person using infrastructure from another country to launch a cyber attack on a third-party country”.
At a later news conference, a foreign ministry spokesman said China wanted to “engage in constructive co-operation with the international community in cyber security on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust”.
Asked to respond to claims that North Korea was using Chinese facilities for cyber-attacks, the spokesman added: “I think to arrive at any conclusion, sufficient facts and evidence are needed. China will handle the case on the basis of facts, international laws and Chinese laws.”
Correspondents say the issue of hacking is a sensitive one in China-US relations, with the two sides frequently trading accusations of cyber-espionage.
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The US is considering putting North Korea back on its list of terrorism sponsors after the hacking of Sony Pictures, President Barack Obama has announced.
A decision would be taken after a review, Barack Obama said, calling the attack an act of cyber-vandalism, not of war.
North Korea denies the attack over The Interview movie, which depicts the fictional killing of its leader Kim Jong-un.
Sony canceled The Interview Christmas Day release after threats to cinemas. It is considering “a different platform”.
In a CNN interview, Barack Obama described the hacking as a “very costly, very expensive” example of cyber-vandalism.
He said US officials would examine all the evidence to determine whether North Korea should be put back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
“I’ll wait to review what the finding are,” Barack Obama said, adding that he did not think the attack “was an act of war”.
North Korea had been on the US list for two decades until the White House removed it in 2008, after Pyongyang agreed to full verification of its nuclear sites.
On December 20, the US also asked China to curb North Korea’s cyber-attacks.
So far there has been no response from Beijing – North Korea’s main ally. North Korea’s communications run through China.
The US National Security spokesman Mark Stroh said: “We are confident the North Korean government is responsible for this destructive attack.”
“If the North Korean government wants to help, they can admit their culpability and compensate Sony for the damages this attack caused,” he said.
The Interview features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un. The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.
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Sony Pictures Entertainment is looking at different channels to release The Interview after scrapping its opening following a cyber-attack blamed on North Korea.
The studio said it had only canceled the film’s Christmas Day release after cinemas pulled out.
Sony said it was considering releasing it “on a different platform”.
President Barack Obama called the cancelation “a mistake”.
North Korea denied involvement and has now urged a joint inquiry with the US.
The FBI said on December 19 that the Pyongyang government was responsible.
The Interview depicts the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Responding to the president’s comments, Sony Pictures chief executive and chairman Michael Lynton said the studio had not made an error in canceling the release.
“We have not given in, we have persevered,” he told CNN.
A Sony statement said the decision had been based on “the majority of the nation’s theatre owners choosing not to screen the film”.
“Without theatres, we could not release it in the theatres on Christmas Day. We had no choice,” the statement added.
“It is still our hope that anyone who wants to see this movie will get the opportunity to do so.”
Script details, salary data and private email correspondence were leaked in the wake of November’s huge cyber attack.
Hackers then issued a warning referring to the 9/11 terror attacks, saying “the world will be full of fear” if The Interview was screened.
North Korea earlier this month denied allegations that it was responsible for the hack. An article in the state-run KCNA news agency, quoting the country’s top military body, called the suggestions “wild rumor”.
The Interview features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un.
The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.
The Interview‘s canceled release drew criticism in Hollywood, with some calling it an attack on the freedom of expression.
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North Korea wants to hold a joint inquiry with the US into a cyber-attack on Sony Pictures after it strongly denied US claims that it is behind it.
The North Korean foreign ministry accused the US government of “spreading groundless allegations” and said a probe would refute the allegations.
The attack and subsequent threats against cinemas led Sony to cancel the release of The Interview, a satire including the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The film had been due to open on Christmas Day.
However, Sony Pictures said it was considering releasing it “on a different platform”.
The FBI said on December 19 that the Pyongyang government was responsible.
On December 20, the North Korean foreign ministry said: “As the United States is spreading groundless allegations and slandering us, we propose a joint investigation with it into this incident.”
“Without resorting to such tortures as were used by the US CIA, we have means to prove that this incident has nothing to do with us.”
Yesterday, President Barack Obama criticized the film’s cancelation, saying he wished Sony executives had spoken to him before cancelling the release.
“We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship,” he said, vowing to “respond” to the cyber-attack in a “manner that we choose”.
Responding to the president’s comments, Sony Pictures chief executive and chairman Michael Lynton said the studio had not made an error in canceling the release.
“We have not given in, we have persevered,” he told CNN.
A Sony statement said the decision had been based on “the majority of the nation’s theatre owners choosing not to screen the film”.
“Without theatres, we could not release it in the theatres on Christmas Day. We had no choice,” the statement added.
“It is still our hope that anyone who wants to see this movie will get the opportunity to do so.”
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President Barack Obama has promised a strong response after North Korea’s alleged cyber-attack on Sony Pictures.
The president also said the studio “made a mistake” in refusing to release The Interview, a controversial satire depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
On December 19 US authorities linked North Korea to the hack, which saw sensitive studio information publicly released.
Sony withdrew The Interview following continued threats.
“We will respond,” Barack Obama told reporters on December 19, declining to offer specifics.
“We will respond proportionately and in a space, time and manner that we choose.”
He added: “We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship in the United States.”
Barack Obama said it was important to protect both public and private cyber-systems from attack which could have significant economic and social impacts.
He also noted he believed Sony Pictures was mistaken in failing to go ahead with the release.
“Americans cannot change their patterns of behavior due to the possibility of a terrorist attack,” he said.
“That’s not who we are, that’s not what America is about.”
Earlier on Friday, FBI officially tied North Korea to the cyber-attack, linking the country to malware used in the incident.
Sony cancelled the holiday release of The Interview after national theatre chains refused to show it.
Hackers had earlier issued a warning referring to the 9/11 terror attacks, saying “the world will be full of fear” if the film was screened.
The movie features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un.
The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him. The film was due to have been released over Christmas.
The film’s canceled release drew criticism in Hollywood, with some calling it an attack on the freedom of expression.
In November, a cyber-attack crippled computers at Sony and led to upcoming films and workers’ personal data being leaked online.
The hackers also released salary details and social security numbers for thousands of Sony employees – including celebrities.
North Korea earlier this month denied involvement in the hack – but praised the attack itself as a “righteous deed”.
However, the communist country warned the US that “there are a great number of supporters and sympathizers” of North Korea “all over the world” who may have carried out the attack.
In the article, Sony Pictures was accused of “abetting a terrorist act” and “hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership” of North Korea by producing the movie.
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For the first time in decades, South Korea has banned a political party with a court ordering the organization accused of supporting North Korea to disband.
The government had petitioned the constitutional court last year to ban the leftist Unified Progressive Party (UPP), which has five members in parliament.
Some UPP members were previously arrested for plotting a rebellion.
The move has sparked concern about freedom of expression and association in South Korea.
The decision was closely watched by political groups, with hundreds gathered near the constitutional court in Seoul amid a tight security presence of about 1,000 riot police.
Both UPP supporters and its opponents held demonstrations, shouting slogans and waving signs, reports said.
It is the first time South Korea’s constitutional court has banned a political party since it was established in 1988, said AP news agency.
Eight out of nine judges agreed on December 19 to accept the government’s petition to disband the UPP, order it to forfeit its seats in parliament and ban an equivalent party from forming.
Chief Judge Park Han-chul said: “There was an urgent need to remove the threat posed by the party to the basic order of democracy.”
Justice Minister Hwan Kyo-ahn, making the government’s final argument before the court last month, said the UPP has attempted to “establish a pro-communist government and unification to realize North Korean-style socialism”.
However, the UPP has said it only wants greater reconciliation with North Korea.
The government’s petition was prompted by the arrest of several UPP members in 2013.
Seven members were eventually convicted of plotting to overthrow the South Korean government in the event war broke out with North Korea.
UPP’s leader Lee Jung-hee told reporters on December 19 that the decision “opened a dark age with an authoritarian decision” and had turned South Korea into a “dictatorial country”.
Amnesty International’s East Asia research director Roseann Rife said the ban “raises serious questions as to the authorities’ commitment to freedom of expression and association.”
“Security concerns must never be used as an excuse to deny people the right to express different political views,” she said.
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North Korea will be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face charges of crimes against humanity.
The UN General Assembly voted the resolution with 116 to 20, with more than 50 abstentions.
The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the resolution on December 22, but it is likely to face stiff opposition from China and Russia.
North Korea said the resolution was “a product of political plot and confrontation”.
A UN report released in February revealed ordinary North Koreans faced “unspeakable atrocities”.
The report detailed wide-ranging abuses in North Korea after a panel heard evidence of torture, political repression and other abuses.
It added that those accused of political crimes were “disappeared” to prison camps, where they were subject to “deliberate starvation, forced labor, executions, torture, rape and the denial of reproductive rights enforced through punishment, forced abortion and infanticide”.
Most of the evidence came from North Korean defectors who had fled the country.
North Korea refused to co-operate with the report and condemned its findings.
The report led to a vote in the UN’s human rights committee last month, which voted in favor of referring North Korea to the ICC.
China, North Korea’s main international ally, is expected to veto any Security Council resolution when the matter is discussed next week.
On December 18, the General Assembly also passed resolutions condemning the human rights records of Syria and Iran, but did not go as far as recommending a referral to the ICC.
The cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment that forced the cancellation of The Interview movie release is being seen as a serious national security matter, the White House says.
A White House spokesman said the US believed the hacking was the work of a “sophisticated actor” – but refused to confirm if North Korea was responsible.
Sony Pictures withdrew The Interview, a new comedy film about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after threats from hackers.
Hackers have already released sensitive information stored on Sony computers.
They later issued a warning to members of the public planning to see The Interview.
Referring to the 9/11 terror attacks, they said “the world will be full of fear” if the film was screened.
Many cinemas scrapped plans to show the film, and Sony then cancelled the release of the film altogether – moves criticized in Hollywood as an attack on the freedom of expression.
At a White House briefing on December 18, spokesman Josh Earnest said US officials had held daily discussions about the Sony cyber attack and were considering an “appropriate response”.
However, he refused to comment on who was responsible, saying he did not wish to pre-empt an investigation by the Department of Justice and the FBI.
The Interview, made by Sony Pictures, features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un.
The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.
The Interview was due to have been released over Christmas.
In November, a cyber attack crippled computers at Sony and led to upcoming films and workers’ personal data being leaked online.
The hackers also released salary details and social security numbers for thousands of Sony employees – including celebrities.
Earlier this month, North Korea denied hacking into Sony’s computers – but praised the attack itself as a “righteous deed”.
An article on North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency, quoting the country’s top military body, said suggestions that Pyongyang was behind the attack were “wild rumor”.
However, it warned the US that “there are a great number of supporters and sympathizers” of North Korea “all over the world” who may have carried out the attack.
In the article, Sony Pictures was accused of “abetting a terrorist act” and “hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership” of North Korea by producing the movie.
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Sony Pictures Entertainment has confirmed it has no plans to release The Interview movie internationally, in any form, following threats from hackers.
Cinemas in the US canceled screenings of the film, about a plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un prompting Sony to shelve it altogether.
There has been dismay in Hollywood, with Ben Stiller calling the move “a threat to freedom of expression”.
Hackers had issued a warming to cinema-goers who planned to watch the movie.
President Barack Obama recommended that “people go to the movies”, but stressed that the hack was “very serious”.
Speaking to ABC, the president added: “We’ll be vigilant – if we see something that we think is serious and credible, then we’ll alert the public.”
Several other famous names have criticized the decision to shelve the movie, accusing the studio of caving in to the hackers’ threats.
On December 17, it emerged that Steve Carell’s planned film project, a thriller called Pyongyang about a Westerner working in North Korea, was scrapped ahead of Sony’s announcement.
Sony said it was “deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie”.
“We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theatre-goers,” the studio said.
It added: “We stand by our film-makers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”
The cancellation comes after hackers calling themselves Guardians of Peace released emails and data stolen from Sony in late November.
In a later warning to cinemas screening The Interview, they referred to the 9/11 attacks, claiming “the world will be full of fear”.
“Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time,” the hacker group wrote, in a message on December 16.
“Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.”
Sony had given theaters in the US and Canada the option to bow out of showing The Interview in the wake of the threats.
Regal Cinemas, AMC Entertainment and Cinemark Theatres – the top three theatre chains in North America – subsequently announced they were postponing screenings, and Canada’s biggest theatre firms also pulled out, leaving Sony seemingly no choice but to postpone the film.
However, the Alamo Drafthouse cinema in Texas has decided to replace The Interview with a screening of Team America, a film featuring a marionette of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the father of Kim Jong-un.
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Sony Pictures Entertainment has decided to cancel The Interview movie release on December 25, after major cinema chains decided not to screen it.
The Interview is about a fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Hackers have already carried out a cyber attack on Sony and warned the public to stay away from cinemas screening the film.
The US government said it was considering a “range of options” on how to respond to the attack.
“We know that criminals and foreign countries regularly seek to gain access to government and private sector networks – both in the United States and elsewhere,” a National Security Council statement said, adding that the FBI was leading the investigation.
“We take very seriously any attempt to threaten or limit artists’ freedom of speech or of expression.”
The statement came after US media quoted anonymous officials as saying that the FBI had linked North Korea to the attacks.
On December 17, the New York premiere of The Interview was canceled.
Sony says it understands its partners’ decision.
However, in a statement it said it was “deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie”.
“In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release,” it said.
“We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theatre-goers.”
The statement added: “We stand by our film makers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”
Hackers calling themselves Guardians of Peace have released emails and data stolen from Sony in late November.
In a recent warning they mentioned the 9/11 attacks, claiming “the world will be full of fear”.
“Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time,” the hacker group wrote in a message on December 16.
“Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.”
Earlier, Sony had given theatres in the US and Canada the option to bow out of showing The Interview in the wake of the threats.
Regal Cinemas, AMC Entertainment and Cinemark Theatres – the top three theatre chains in North America – subsequently announced they were postponing screenings, and Canada’s biggest theatre firms also pulled out, leaving Sony seemingly no choice but to postpone the film.
Jimmy Kimmel tweeted that the decision by theatres to refuse to show the film was “an un-American act of cowardice that validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent.”
The Interview cost Sony an estimated $42 million to produce – not nearly as much as action films like The Hunger Games or the X-Men films – but still a significant amount for a comedy film.
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The NYC premiere of The Interview movie, a comedy about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been cancelled amid threats from hackers.
A spokesman for the cinema chain due to host the screening said it had been shelved.
Hackers targeting Sony Pictures had threatened to attack US cinemas showing the studio’s film.
They belong to the same group which has released emails and data stolen from Sony.
Calling themselves Guardians of Peace, the hackers mentioned the 9/11 attacks in a recent warning, claiming “the world will be full of fear”.
“Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time,” the hacker group wrote in a message on .
“If your house is nearby, you’d better leave,” they add.
“Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.”
A spokesman for Landmark, the cinema chain due to host the New York premiere, confirmed the showing had been cancelled but gave no reason, Reuters news agency reported.
Executives from Sony had previously said they would not object if cinemas chose not to show The Interview.
Carmike Cinemas, which operates 278 venues across the US, has cancelled planned screenings, according to several news outlets.
The company has not yet commented publicly on the reports.
Guardians of Peace have also released a new trove of Sony company data, calling it a “Christmas gift”.
A cache of company emails, social security numbers and salary details had already been released.
On December 16, two former Sony Pictures employees sued the California company for not providing adequate security to prevent the computer breach.
The studio earlier attempted to limit the damage by contacting some news outlets to block the publication of the emails.
North Korea has denied involvement in the attack, but has described it as a “righteous deed” that may have been carried out by its “supporters and sympathizers”.
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Seth Rogen objected to re-editing The Interview movie, about an assassination attempt on Kim Jong-un, just “to make North Koreans happy”.
Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal wrote to Seth Rogen to ask him to tone down a scene in which the North Korean leader is blown up.
Amy Pascal said the request came from Kazuo Hirai, chairman of Sony Corporation.
The exchange was revealed in leaked emails in the wake of a massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures.
Seth Rogen – who wrote and directed The Interview – refused to meet all of the demands made by Kazuo Hirai.
“This is now a story of Americans changing their movie to make North Koreans happy,” he wrote, in an email dated August 15.
“That is a very damning story.”
The Interview – due to be released on Christmas Day in the US – sees Seth Rogen and James Franco play two reporters who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un. The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.
In June this year, North Korea described the film as an act of war and an “undisguised sponsoring of terrorism”, and called on the US and the UN to block it.
Amy Pascal wrote to Seth Rogen relaying concerns raised by Kazuo Hirai about a key shot in the film which depicts Kim Jong-un struck by a tank shell, causing his head to explode.
“As embarrassing as this has been from my point of view,” wrote Amy Pascal to the film-maker, “you have to appreciate the fact that we haven’t just dictated to you what it had to be.”
“This isn’t some flunky. It’s the chairman of the entire Sony Corporation who I am dealing (with),” she said, referring to Kazuo Hirai’s position as the head of the studio’s parent company.
She stressed she was keen to ensure that the Japanese company would not be placed “in a bad situation”, in terms of its political relations with North Korea.
In a later response, Seth Rogen agrees to remove some of the ghoulish detail, including reducing the “flaming hair”, but added: “The head explosion can’t be more obscured than it is because we honestly feel that if it’s any more obscured, you won’t be able to tell it’s exploding and the joke won’t work.”
In an email to Kazuo Hirai, Amy Pascal notes that she has encountered considerable “resistance from the filmmakers”.
A final email in October, from Seth Rogen, confirms that his latest edit had “removed the fire from the hair and the entire secondary wave of head chunks”.
“Please tell us this is over now,” he adds.
Details of the emails were reported by Bloomberg News. Representatives for Seth Rogen declined to comment.
Sony Pictures announced this week that the stars will be giving no interviews at the Hollywood premiere of The Interview.
The California-based studio’s computer system went down last week and hackers then published a number of as-yet unreleased films on online download sites. The Interview was not among them.
A slew of emails, including embarrassing exchanges about some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, have also been leaked.
North Korea has denied it was directly involved in the hacking but praised the attack itself as a “righteous deed”.
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North Korea has denied Sony Pictures hack attack in retaliation for The Interview movie depicting Kim Jong-un.
However, the attack itself has been praised as a “righteous deed”.
The attack crippled computers at Sony and led to upcoming films and workers’ personal data being leaked online.
North Korea said its “supporters and sympathizers” may have carried out the hack – but said it was not involved.
It has described The Interview as an “act of terrorism”.
The comedy, made by Sony Pictures, features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two reporters who are granted an audience with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate the North Korean leader. The film is due to be released over Christmas.
An article on North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency, quoting the country’s top military body, said suggestions that Pyongyang was behind the attack were “wild rumor”.
However, it warned the US that “there are a great number of supporters and sympathizers” of North Korea “all over the world” who may have carried out the attack.
In the article, Sony Pictures was accused of “abetting a terrorist act” and “hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership” of North Korea by producing the movie.
Last week a North Korean diplomat had responded to questions over whether his country had conducted the attack by saying, “wait and see”.
Sony Pictures’ computer system went down last week and hackers then published a number of as-yet unreleased films on online download sites.
They also released salary and Social Security numbers for thousands of Sony employees – including celebrities. The film about North Korea does not appear to have been leaked.
On Monday, Sony Pictures said it had restored a number of important services that had to be shut down after the attack.
It said it was working closely with law enforcement officials to investigate the matter but made no mention of North Korea.
The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating. It has also warned other US businesses that unknown hackers have launched a cyber-attack with destructive malware.
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North Korea refuses to deny involvement in Sony Pictures cyber-attack that came ahead of the release of The Interview movie about its leader Kim Jong-un.
Sony is investigating after its computers were attacked and unreleased films made available on the internet.
When asked if it was involved in the attack a spokesman for the North Korean government replied: “Wait and see.”
In June, North Korea complained to the UN and the US over the comedy film The Interview.
In the movie, Seth Rogen and James Franco play two reporters who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un. The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.
North Korea described the film as an act of war and an “undisguised sponsoring of terrorism”, and called on the US and the UN to block it.
California-based Sony Pictures’ computer system went down last week and hackers then published a number of as-yet un-released films on online download sites.
Among the titles is a remake of the classic film Annie, which is not due for release until December 19.
The Interview does not appear to have been leaked.
When asked about the cyber-attack, a spokesman for North Korea’s UN mission said: “The hostile forces are relating everything to the DPRK (North Korea). I kindly advise you to just wait and see.”
On December 1, Sony Pictures said it had restored a number of important services that had to be shut down after the attack.
The company said it was working closely with law enforcement officials to investigate the matter but made no mention of North Korea.
The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating. It has also warned other US businesses that unknown hackers have launched a cyber attack with destructive malware.
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