Category: North Korea

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North Korea Threatens “War” With USA if Sanctions Aren’t Lifted

I guess you can say that the new sanctions on North Korea are working.

After it was revealed that they were responsible for the Sony hack, President Obama levied heavier sections on the already isolated nation, causing the North to decry those sanctions as “wars of aggression.”

“The U.S. took part in wars of aggression … But it has never experienced a hail of bullets and shells on its own territory,” North Korea’s National Defense Commission said in a warning through state-run media. “The U.S. should roll back its hostile policy towards the DPRK of its own accord if it does not want to suffer a war disaster.”

The United States on Friday slapped sanctions on 10 individuals and three entities, including North Korea’s primary intelligence organization and its arms dealer, over the country’s alleged role in a cyberattack that threatened to derail Sony’s release of “The Interview” and made public emails that embarrassed top-level executives.

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North Korea Politics South Korea

North Korea and South Korea could Possibly Talk Again

The leader of North Korea decided to almost put on his big boy pants, indicating that he could possibly hold talks with his sworn enemies in the south. Of course, there are no guarantees that he would pull his big boy pants all the way up. That decision depends on whether South Korea meet his demands.

President Kim was giving his new year message broadcast on state television.
He 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 Monday, Mr Ryoo 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.
He offered to meet in Seoul, Pyongyang or any other South or North Korean city agreed with North Korean officials.

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Entertainment Movie North Korea Politics The Interview

Sony’s ‘The Interview’ will Be Available on YouTube

YouTube and other online services will carry The Interview, beginning on Thursday.

As first reported by CNN’s Brian Stelter and later confirmed by Sony, viewers are able to rent or buy the film from YouTube Movies, Google Play, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and via SeeTheInterview.com. (The cost is $5.99 to rent, and $14.99 to purchase).

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North Korea Politics The Interview

Sony’s Movie ‘The Interview’ will Be Shown on December 25th

This has to be the most fuss any movie has received in the history of movie making. The once on-again, off-again movie that depicts the assassination of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, is now back on-again, and will be shown in selected movie theaters on December 25th.

“We have never given up on releasing ‘The Interview,‘ and we’re excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day,” Sony Entertainment Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton said in a statement.

He added that Sony is continuing to “secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience.”

Lynton’s statement came after Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas confirmed to NBC News that the Texas theater chain will run the film. The theater’s website posted multiple showtimes beginning Thursday for a location in Richardson, Texas.

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Featured North Korea Politics

North Korea’s Internet Seems to be Under a Massive Cyber Attack

Something is happening with the North Korean internet system. Right now, there is no way to say what that something is, but whatever it is, North Korea’s internet service is suffering one of its worst outages in recent memory. And even more stranger is the fact that this massive outage comes just days after President Obama promised a “proportional response” to the North’s confirmed attack on Sony Entertainment.

“I haven’t seen such a steady beat of routing instability and outages in KP before,” said Doug Madory, director of Internet analysis at the cybsecurity firm Dyn Research, according to Martyn Williams of the excellent blog North Korea Tech. Madory explained, “Usually there are isolated blips, not continuous connectivity problems. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are absorbing some sort of attack presently.”

While it’s entirely possible that this is due to run-of-the-mill maintenance or technical issues, it’s hard to miss that the outage comes just days after President Obama condemned North Korea as responsible for the massive cyberattack against Sony and pledged a “proportional” US response. Two other cybersecurity firms confirmed to the New York Times that North Korea’s is collapsing amid an apparent cyber attack.

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Entertainment Featured North Korea The Interview

What “Dr. Evil” Had to Say about The Sony Hack and North Korea – Video

North Korea was able to bully Sony Entertainment and the movie theaters into censoring one of their comedy movies, The Interview. What got North Korea upset was the fact that this movie – a comedy mind you – is about the assassination of their “dear leader,” Kim Jong Um.

Over the last few days a lot of people have voiced their opinion on Sony and the steps they took, but one voice in particular stands out from all the rest. That of Dr. Evil.

Video

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Movie North Korea Politics The Interview

President Obama – I’m Not Mad at Sony, It’s The Precedent Their Decision Set

 In an interview on CNN’s State of The Union, President Obama reiterated that Sony “made a mistake” when they decided to bow to North Korea’s threats and canceled the showing of the movie, The Interview. But the president also said that he understood Sony’s decision as a company, but wished they had talked to him first before pulling the plug on the movie.

“I was pretty sympathetic to the fact that they have business considerations that they got to make,” the president said. “Had they talked to me directly about this decision, I might have called the movie theater chains and distributors and asked them what the story was.”

Mr. Obama continued saying that Sony’s decision set a dangerous precedent, one that cannot be adhere to.

“If we set a precedent in which a dictator in another country can disrupt through cyber, a company’s distribution chain or its products, and as a consequence we start censoring ourselves, that’s a problem,” Obama said.

“And it’s a problem not just for the entertainment industry, it’s a problem for the news industry,” he said. “CNN has done critical stories about North Korea. What happens if in fact there is a breach in CNN’s cyberspace? Are we going to suddenly say, are we not going to report on North Korea?

“So the key here is not to suggest that Sony was a bad actor. It’s making a broader point that all of us have to adapt to the possibility of cyber attacks, we have to do a lot more to guard against them.”

Video

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Movie North Korea Politics The Interview

Watch the Death Scene in “The Interview” North Korea is Afraid of – Video

North Korea has apparently gone above and beyond to keep “The Interview” from coming to a big screen near you. But the internet is a different story and it was just a matter of time before certain scenes from the movie, and ultimately the whole movie, appear on the WWW!

This is a gif of the death scene from the movie. It shows how the actor playing Kim Jong Un dies.

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Movie Movies North Korea Politics The Interview

Sony CEO – “We have not caved” on The Interview

Michael Lynton, the CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, went on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria to set the record straight, saying that Sony did not cave in their decision to cancel showings of the movie, The Interview – a satirical movie that shows the assassination of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Lynton instead said that Sony had no other choice after movie theaters decided not to show the film.

“The movie theaters came to us one by one over the course of a very short time – we were very surprised by it – they announced that they would not carry the movie. At that point in time, we had no alternative to not proceed with a theatrical release on the 25th of December….”

That being said, Lynton affirmed that America and the world will get to see the movie. “We have not caved,” he said. “We have not given in. We have persevered and we have not backed down. We have always had every desire to have the America public see this movie.”

Video

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Movies North Korea Politics

President Obama – Sony Made a Mistake Not to Show “The Interview” Movie

At his final news conference for the rest of the year, President Obama stated that Sony made a mistake when they succumbed to terrorist threats and canceled showing the movie.

“Yes, I think they made a mistake,” Obama said. “We cannot have a society in which a dictator in some place can start imposing censorship in the United States.”

He continued, “Because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don’t like or news reports that they don’t like. Or even worse, imagine if producers and distributors and others start engaging in self-censorship because they don’t want to offend…somebody’s sensibilities who probably need to be offended.

“So that’s not who we are. That’s not what America is about,” Obama said.

The movie was scheduled for release on December 25th, but was canceled by Sony after North Korean hackers threatened to cause attacks similar to those of September 11th.

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Movie Movies North Korea The Interview

George Clooney – “We cannot be told we can’t see something by Kim Jong Un”

George Clooney, like most Americans, are upset that North Korea and their leader Kim Jong Un, are dictating what Americans can and cannot see, and in an interview with Deadline, Clooney made his feelings known.

“We should be in the position right now of going on offense with this. Stick it online. Do whatever you can to get this movie out. Not because everybody has to see the movie, but because I’m not going to be told we can’t see the movie.”

The movie Clooney is referring to of course, is “The Interview,” a comedy about the assassination of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Because of “September 11th type” threats against movie theaters – threats that are now linked to North Korea – Sony has decided to cancel the movie’s distribution. Clooney and many more Americans are joining the chorus for something to done about this situation.

Clooney added: “That’s the most important part. We cannot be told we can’t see something by Kim Jong Un, of all f***ing people.”

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North Korea Politics

Kenneth Bae Appeals to US Government for North Korea Release

Wearing a gray cap and inmate’s uniform with the number 103 on his chest, Bae spoke in Korean during the brief appearance, which was attended by The Associated Press and a few other foreign media in Pyongyang.

“I believe that my problem can be solved by close cooperation and agreement between the American government and the government of this country,” he said.

Bae, the longest-serving American detainee in North Korea in recent years, expressed hope that the U.S. government will do its best to secure his release. He said he has not been treated badly in confinement.

A sticking point with Bae might be that the U.S. government has said he is not guilty of any crimes. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said last month that Bae is being held without reason, which Pyongyang denies. Bae on Monday made an apology and said he had committed anti-government acts. He said recent comments in the media from the U.S. side — likely alluding to Biden’s remarks — have made his situation more complicated.

Bae was arrested in November 2012 while leading a tour group and accused of crimes against the state before being sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He was moved to a hospital last summer in poor health.

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