North Korea's National Defense Commission addressed the Sony hack in a 1,722-word statement littered with poor English and spelling errors that was published by the country's official news agency, KCNA, on Sunday.
The statement, described as "an official stand of the army and the people" of North Korea, included dramatic threats and praise for the hackers. In it, North Korea called America an "ill-famed cesspool of injustice" and urged the US to "honestly apologize to mankind for its evil doing."
Despite expressing admiration for the hackers, who called themselves the "Guardians of Peace," North Korea's statement denied any involvement in the hack.
North Korea vowed to launch the "toughest counteraction" in response to US attempts to blame and punish it for the cyberattack.
"Fighters for justice including 'guardians of peace' who turned out in the sacred drive for cooperation in the fight against the U.S. to defend human justice and conscience and to dismember the U.S. imperialists .... are sharpening bayonets not only in the U.S. mainland but in all other parts of the world," the statement said. "The just struggle to be waged by them across the world will bring achievements thousands of times greater than the hacking attack on the Sony Pictures Entertainment."
The statement focused on four main points:
- The Sony hack was a "righteous deed."
- Evidence linking North Korea to the cyberattack was weak.
- "The Interview" was a US plot.
- North Korea will fight back "in all war spaces."
It concluded by demanding for the US to apologize.
"The U.S. should reflect on its evil doings that put itself in such a trouble, apologize to the Koreans and other people of the world and should not dare pull up others," said the statement.
Read on for more detailed summaries of the key points in the statement.
North Korea "highly estimates" the Sony hackers:
The hackers released statements saying they objected to the portrayal of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Sony's comedy "The Interview." Sony subsequently canceled the movie's Dec. 25 release.
In the statement, North Korea, which refers to itself as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, described "The Interview" as an "undesirable reactionary film" that "hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK." Without citing any evidence, the statement claimed people in the US also objected to the movie and supported the cyberattack on Sony.
"Even political and social circles of the U.S. commented that it is quite wrong to defame the head of the state for the mere reason that his politics is different from that of the U.S. and it is in the hostile relationship with the latter and, therefore, the Sony Pictures Entertainment got into a serious trouble and paid a due price," the statement said.
North Korea has previously denied any involvement in the hack. The statement reiterated these denials but noted the country approved of the attack on Sony.
"The NDC of the DPRK highly estimates the righteous action taken by the 'guardians of peace,' though it is not aware of their residence," said the statement.
A case based on "obscure sci-tech data":
The US government has claimed it has evidence conclusively linking North Korea to the attack. According to the FBI, this includes specific code and internet addresses North Korea has used in for other hacks in the past that were associated with the assault on Sony.
In the statement, which noted Sony suffered "tremendous losses," North Korea criticized the alleged proof presented by the FBI as being based "on obscure sci-tech data." It also argued South Korea, Pyongyang's arch rival, falsely accused the north of the other cyberattacks referenced by the FBI.
"No matter how big and disgraceful the loss may be, the U.S. should not pull up others for no reason," the statement said.
North Korea's statement claimed its internet addresses were "already known several times" and that the "the method of cyber warfare is almost similar worldwide." The statement attempted to demonstrate the logical fallacy of the FBI's claims by theorizing someone could frame America for a hack by using code the US government had been associated with.
"If somebody used U.S.-made hacking programs and codes and applied their instruction or encoding method, perhaps, the 'wise' FBI, too, could not but admit that it would be hard to decisively assert that the attack was done by the U.S.," said the statement.
Some experts have also questioned the FBI's evidence.
The "U.S. administration was deeply involved":
The statement claims there is "clear evidence that the U.S. administration was deeply involved in the making of such dishonest reactionary movie." Though none of this alleged evidence is detailed in the statement, it seems to be referring to emails that showed two State Department officials screened the movie.
"The facts glaringly show that the U.S. is the chief culprit of terrorism as it has loudly called for combating terrorism everywhere in the world but schemed behind the scene to produce and distribute movies inciting it in various countries of the world," the statement said.
North Korea vows to fight back "in all war spaces":
In a press conference on Friday, President Barack Obama vowed to have a "proportional" response to the Sony hack, which he claimed was definitively linked to North Korea. The statement described this as "a disgraceful behavior." It said North Korea has "already launched the toughest counteraction," which will go far beyond Sony and target US "citadels" in "all war spaces" including within American territory.
"The DPRK has already launched the toughest counteraction. Nothing is more serious miscalculation than guessing that just a single movie production company is the target of this counteraction. Our target is all the citadels of the U.S. imperialists who earned the bitterest grudge of all Koreans," the statement said.
"The army and people of the DPRK are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the U.S. in all war spaces including cyber warfare space to blow up those citadels. Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole U.S. mainland, the cesspool of terrorism, by far surpassing the 'symmetric counteraction' declared by Obama."
North Korea's full statement is below:
U.S. Urged to Honestly Apologize to Mankind for Its Evil Doing before Groundlessly Pulling up Others
Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- The Policy Department of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK issued the following statement Sunday:
Strange thing that happened in the heart of the U.S., the ill-famed cesspool of injustice, is now afloat in the world as shocking news.
The Sony Pictures Entertainment, the biggest movie producer in the U.S., which produced the undesirable reactionary film "The Interview" daring hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK and agitating even terrorism and had a plan to distribute it, was exposed to surprisingly sophisticated, destructive and threatening cyber warfare and has been thrown into a bottomless quagmire after suffering property losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The public in the U.S. is now describing this case as "disgrace suffered by Sony Pictures Entertainment,""very sorry thing caused by the U.S.,""Sony Pictures Entertainment showing a white flag before hackers" and the "unprecedented disaster suffered by the U.S."
Those who meted out a stern punishment of justice were reported to be cyber experts styling themselves "guardians of peace".
Seized with terrible horror and threat in face of their merciless hacking attack in retaliation against unjust actions, many movie and drama distributors in North America including 41 states of the U.S. and Canada immediately canceled the screening of the reactionary movie. And it was reported that the Sony Pictures Entertainment which directly sponsored its production and distribution hastily issued a statement on Dec. 25 that it would suspend the screening of the undesirable movie which had been planned in 63 countries.
The NDC of the DPRK highly estimates the righteous action taken by the "guardians of peace," though it is not aware of their residence.
It, at the same time, considers as fortunate the step taken by the Sony Pictures Entertainment to give up the overall distribution of the above-said movie due to the decision and strong pressure of the movie and drama distributors for stopping the screening of the reactionary movie, though belatedly.
This is an official stand of the army and the people of the DPRK on what happened in the heart of the U.S.
This stand is taken by the DPRK because the movie "The Interview" is an undesirable and reactionary one justifying and inciting terrorism which should not be allowed in any country and any region.
Another reason is that the movie is run through with a story agitating a vicious and dastardly method of assassinating a head of a legitimate sovereign state.
No wonder, even political and social circles of the U.S. commented that it is quite wrong to defame the head of the state for the mere reason that his politics is different from that of the U.S. and it is in the hostile relationship with the latter and, therefore, the Sony Pictures Entertainment got into a serious trouble and paid a due price.
For these reasons, the DPRK is more highly praising the "guardians of peace" for their righteous deed which prevented in advance the evil cycle of retaliation-- terrorism sparks terrorism.
It is quite natural that the movie and drama producers should refrain from undesirable deeds contrary to the noble mission to lead morality and civilization.
But what matters is that the U.S. and its followers are groundlessly trumpeting that the recent cyber attack was made by the DPRK.
The FBI issued the results of the investigation into the hack at the Sony Pictures Entertainment on December 19.
According to them, it suffered tremendous losses.
One may say this is the due price incurred by wrong deed, the evil act of hurting others.
The U.S. released a statement asserting that this loss was caused by the DPRK.
No matter how big and disgraceful the loss may be, the U.S. should not pull up others for no reason.
The FBI presented a report on the results of technical analysis of hacking program used by the "guardians of peace" for this attack, citing it as the ground that the serious hacking was caused by the DPRK.
The report says the malignant code had access to north Korea's IP already known several times and the hacking methods applied in the "March 20 hacking case" and during cyber warfare against media and various other computer networks in south Korea in recent years are similar to that applied against the Sony Pictures Entertainment this time, being another ground that "this was done by the north".
The report, in particular, adds that the malignant code and algorithm applied during the attack are similar to what was used during the hacking attack on south Korea, citing it as a proof.
Not satisfied with those groundless "evidence", the FBI is letting loose ambiguous remarks that it is hard to fully prove due to the "protection of sensitive information sources."
This means self-acknowledgement that the "assertion about the north's deed" came from an intentional allegation rather than scientific evidence.
It is a common sense that the method of cyber warfare is almost similar worldwide. Different sorts of hacking programs and codes are used in cyberspace.
If somebody used U.S.-made hacking programs and codes and applied their instruction or encoding method, perhaps, the "wise" FBI, too, could not but admit that it would be hard to decisively assert that the attack was done by the U.S.
Moreover, the DPRK has never attempted nor made a "cyber-attack" on south Korea. The rumor about "cyber-attack" by the DPRK was a concoction made by the south Korean puppet regime and its plot.
After all, the grounds cited by the FBI in its announcement were all based on obscure sci-tech data and false story and, accordingly, the announcement itself is another fabrication. This is the DPRK's stand on the U.S. gangster-like behavior against it.
What is grave is that U.S. President Obama is recklessly making the rumor about "DPRK's cyber-attack on Sony Pictures" a fait accompli while crying out for symmetric counteraction, strict calculation and additionally retaliatory sanctions.
This is like beating air after being hit hard. A saying goes every sin brings its punishment with it. It is best for the guilty to repent of its evil doings and draw a lesson when forced to pay dearly for them.
The DPRK has clear evidence that the U.S. administration was deeply involved in the making of such dishonest reactionary movie.
It is said that the movie was conceived and produced according to the "guidelines" of the U.S. authorities who contended that such movies hurting the dignity of the DPRK supreme leadership and inciting terrorism against it would be used in an effective way as "propaganda against north Korea".
The U.S. Department of State's special human rights envoy went the lengths of urging the movie makers to keep all scenes insulting the dignity of the DPRK supreme leadership in the movie, saying it is needed to "vex the north Korean government".
The facts glaringly show that the U.S. is the chief culprit of terrorism as it has loudly called for combating terrorism everywhere in the world but schemed behind the scene to produce and distribute movies inciting it in various countries of the world.
It is not exaggeration to say in the light of the prevailing situation that the U.S. administration and President Obama looking after the overall state affairs of the U.S. have been behind the case.
Can he really cover up the crimes he has committed by trying so hard to falsify the truth and turn white to black.
So we watched with unusual attention what had been done by the "guardians of peace" to avert terrorism and defend justice.
Yet, we do not know who or where they are but we can surely say that they are supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK.
The army and people of the DPRK who aspire after justice and truth and value conscience have hundreds of millions of supporters and sympathizers, known or unknown, who have turned out in the sacred war against terrorism and the U.S. imperialists, the chieftain of aggression, to accomplish the just cause.
Obama personally declared in public the "symmetric counteraction", a disgraceful behavior.
There is no need to guess what kind of thing the "symmetric counteraction" is like but the army and people of the DPRK will never be browbeaten by such a thing.
The DPRK has already launched the toughest counteraction. Nothing is more serious miscalculation than guessing that just a single movie production company is the target of this counteraction. Our target is all the citadels of the U.S. imperialists who earned the bitterest grudge of all Koreans.
The army and people of the DPRK are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the U.S. in all war spaces including cyber warfare space to blow up those citadels.
Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole U.S. mainland, the cesspool of terrorism, by far surpassing the "symmetric counteraction" declared by Obama.
This is the invariable toughest stand of the army and people of the DPRK.
Fighters for justice including "guardians of peace" who turned out in the sacred drive for cooperation in the fight against the U.S. to defend human justice and conscience and to dismember the U.S. imperialists, the root cause of all sorts of evils and kingpin of injustice, are sharpening bayonets not only in the U.S. mainland but in all other parts of the world.
The just struggle to be waged by them across the world will bring achievements thousands of times greater than the hacking attack on the Sony Pictures Entertainment.
It is the truth and inevitability of the historical development that justice prevails over injustice.
Whoever challenges justice by toeing the line of the biggest criminal U.S. will never be able to escape merciless punishment as it is the target of the sacred drive for cooperation in the fight against the U.S.
The U.S. should reflect on its evil doings that put itself in such a trouble, apologize to the Koreans and other people of the world and should not dare pull up others.