WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is standing by the FBI’s conclusion that the North Korean government is responsible for the cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, despite North Korea’s denials.
National Security Council spokesman Mark Stroh says North Korea “has a long history of denying responsibility for destructive and provocative actions.”
The North Korean Foreign Ministry said today it knows how to prove it’s not responsible for the hacking and proposed conducting a joint investigation with the U.S.
Analysts suspect the proposal is an effort by the North to appear sincere even though it knows the U.S. would never agree to a joint investigation.
Stroh says if the North Koreans really want to help, “they can admit their culpability and compensate Sony for the damages this attack caused.”
The hack attack exposed tens of thousands of confidential Sony emails and business files. Threats of terror attacks against U.S. movie theaters followed, prompting Sony to cancel the Christmas Day release of “The Interview,” a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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