US sanctions North Korea over Sony cyber-attack

The United has imposed fresh sanctions on North Korean companies and individuals in response to a cyber-attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment that they believe was authorised by North Korea.
US President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Friday allowing sanctions on three North Korean organisations and 10 individuals.

The White House described the move as a response to North Korea's "provocative, destabilising, and repressive actions". In a statement, the White House said that the Sony hack, an apparent effort to stifle the release of a movie ‘The Interview’, was part of the justification of the new sanctions.
"We take seriously North Korea's attack that aimed to create destructive financial effects on a US company and to threaten artists and other individuals with the goal of restricting their right to free expression," the White House said. "Today's actions are the first aspect of our response."

US sanctions are already in place over North Korea's nuclear programme, but these new actions are believed to be the first time that the US has sanctioned a country for cyber-attacks on a US company.
Among those named in the sanctions were: the Reconnaissance General Bureau , North Korea’s primary intelligence organisation; North Korea’s primary arms dealer, the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation; and Kim Yong Choi, an official of the North Korean government believed to be operating in Iran. 
The White House said that the sanctions were in response to the Sony hack, but the targets of the sanctions were not directly involved in the hack.

Rather, the sanctions are designed to further isolate North Korea's defence industry as a deterrent for future cyber-attacks.
The FBI and President Obama have both previously said they believe North Korea was behind the cyber-attack, although some cyber-security experts have cast doubt on this. North Korea has also denied their alleged involvement in the hack. 
A group of hackers nicknamed the Guardians of Peace had hacked Sony in late November, leaking data from its co

mputers, and exposing emails and personal details of its staff.  The hackers later threatened cinema chains planning to screen The Interview, while making oblique references to the 9/11 terror attacks. This prompted several cinema chains to cancel of the film's nationwide release. However, a small number of independent cinemas did screen the film, and it was released online. The controversial film features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists enlisted by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.