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| North Korea Accuses U.S. of Disruptions to Its Internet | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea lashed out at the United States on Saturday, blaming it for disruptions that cut off the nation’s already limited connections to the Internet, while once again rejecting American accusations that it was behind the hacking of Sony Pictures. | |
| The statement, carried by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, also called President Obama a “monkey” for urging the film studio to release “The Interview,” a comedy depicting the assassination of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Sony had canceled the movie’s release for fear of further attacks, but then reversed itself after Mr. Obama criticized it for capitulating to North Korean pressure. | The statement, carried by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, also called President Obama a “monkey” for urging the film studio to release “The Interview,” a comedy depicting the assassination of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Sony had canceled the movie’s release for fear of further attacks, but then reversed itself after Mr. Obama criticized it for capitulating to North Korean pressure. |
| The statement by the National Defense Commission, which is led by Mr. Kim and is the country’s most powerful governing body, is the North’s first response to the intermittent disruptions that have crippled its tenuous connection to cyberspace since Monday. The connectivity problems, which at one point appeared to sever North Korea completely from the Internet, started days after Mr. Obama vowed to retaliate for the damaging attack on the Sony film studio. | The statement by the National Defense Commission, which is led by Mr. Kim and is the country’s most powerful governing body, is the North’s first response to the intermittent disruptions that have crippled its tenuous connection to cyberspace since Monday. The connectivity problems, which at one point appeared to sever North Korea completely from the Internet, started days after Mr. Obama vowed to retaliate for the damaging attack on the Sony film studio. |
| Speaking last week, Mr. Obama said he held the North responsible for the hacking of Sony, which took place just before the studio was to release “The Interview.” The attackers stole confidential emails, salary information and unreleased movies, which they then posted online. | Speaking last week, Mr. Obama said he held the North responsible for the hacking of Sony, which took place just before the studio was to release “The Interview.” The attackers stole confidential emails, salary information and unreleased movies, which they then posted online. |
| The United States has denied playing a role in the disruptions, which struck many of North Korea’s few websites. Internet experts have said the failures could have been caused by anything from technical malfunctions to a hacking attack. However, in its statement on Saturday, the North made clear that it viewed the disruptions as the work of an American attack in retaliation for the Sony hacking. | The United States has denied playing a role in the disruptions, which struck many of North Korea’s few websites. Internet experts have said the failures could have been caused by anything from technical malfunctions to a hacking attack. However, in its statement on Saturday, the North made clear that it viewed the disruptions as the work of an American attack in retaliation for the Sony hacking. |
| While North Korea did not say if it would retaliate for the disruptions, it did accuse the United States of acting like a schoolyard bully. | While North Korea did not say if it would retaliate for the disruptions, it did accuse the United States of acting like a schoolyard bully. |
| “The United States, with its large physical size and oblivious to the shame of playing hide and seek as children with runny noses would, has begun disrupting the Internet operations of the main media outlets of our republic,” said the statement. In the past few days, the websites of the state-run news agency and the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, two of the North’s main outlets to the world, were among those that went dead for several hours. | “The United States, with its large physical size and oblivious to the shame of playing hide and seek as children with runny noses would, has begun disrupting the Internet operations of the main media outlets of our republic,” said the statement. In the past few days, the websites of the state-run news agency and the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, two of the North’s main outlets to the world, were among those that went dead for several hours. |
| The North also blamed Mr. Obama for the release of the movie, which it said undermined “the dignity of the supreme leadership.” | The North also blamed Mr. Obama for the release of the movie, which it said undermined “the dignity of the supreme leadership.” |
| “Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest,” the statement said. | “Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest,” the statement said. |
| This is not the first time the North, which is fond of bombastic language, has used racist or otherwise crude insults against the leaders of the United States and its allies. Earlier this year, it also likened Mr. Obama to a monkey, and also called President Park Geun-hye of South Korea a prostitute. | This is not the first time the North, which is fond of bombastic language, has used racist or otherwise crude insults against the leaders of the United States and its allies. Earlier this year, it also likened Mr. Obama to a monkey, and also called President Park Geun-hye of South Korea a prostitute. |
| The statement on Saturday also repeated earlier denials that North Korea was behind the attack on Sony Pictures, and demanded that the United States back up its accusation with proof. | The statement on Saturday also repeated earlier denials that North Korea was behind the attack on Sony Pictures, and demanded that the United States back up its accusation with proof. |
| “Obama had better thrust himself to cleaning up all the evil doings” that the United States has perpetrated against the North, the statement said. | “Obama had better thrust himself to cleaning up all the evil doings” that the United States has perpetrated against the North, the statement said. |
| The vaguely threatening tone echoed threats of violence against movie theaters that planned to screen “The Interview.” Those threats were a factor in Sony’s decision to cancel its release, but the studio eventually reversed its decision, making the movie available to a limited number of theaters and also online for downloads. | The vaguely threatening tone echoed threats of violence against movie theaters that planned to screen “The Interview.” Those threats were a factor in Sony’s decision to cancel its release, but the studio eventually reversed its decision, making the movie available to a limited number of theaters and also online for downloads. |