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Sony cyber attack: US imposes new sanctions on North Korea

India Blooms News Service | | Jan 03, 2015, at 06:28 pm

#North Korea sanctions # US sanctions on North Korea

Washington, Jan 3 (IBNS) Reacting to the cyber attack against US company Sony Pictures Entertainment, the United States imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea, holding that they believed the Asian country was behind it.

An executive order was signed by President Barack Obama on Friday to the effect, allowing sanctions on three North Korean organisations and 10 individuals, said reports.

A statement by the Press Secretary on the Executive Order Entitled “Imposing Additional Sanctions with Respect to North Korea” said: "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."

"The E.O. authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to impose sanctions on individuals and entities associated with the Government of North Korea. 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," it said.

"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," it said.

US sanctions are already imposed over North Korea for its nuclear programme.

A group that identified itself as Guardians of Peace leaked data from Sony's computers, exposing emails and personal details and also had threatened the cinema chains that were to screen the film The Interview, a satirical comedy on North Korea.

The Interview directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is the story of two journalists instructed to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after booking an interview with him.

In June 2014, the North Korean government threatened "merciless" action against the United States if the film's distributor, Columbia Pictures, went ahead with the release.

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