North Korea on Saturday accused the U.S. of shutting down internet service to the country in retaliation for its alleged hacking attack on Sony, and referred to President Barack Obama as "a monkey" in blaming him for the release of "The Interview."
An unnamed spokesman for the Policy Department of the National Defense Commission denied that North Korea was involved in the cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, as the FBI has claimed. North Korea also accused the U.S. of orchestrating the internet outages that occurred in the isolated country this week.
"In actuality, the U.S., a big country, started disturbing the internet operation of major media of the DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) not knowing shame like children playing a tag," the statement distributed by state-run media said. Two U.S. officials have told NBC News that the United States had no role in the internet outages.
North Korea also blamed Obama for the release of "The Interview," a Seth Rogen comedy that depicts the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Obama had criticized Sony after the company said it would not release the film after major theaters refused to show it amid threats from hackers; it was eventually released to smaller theaters and online.
"Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest," the statement said. It also accused the U.S. of "gangster-like arbitrary practices" and warned "the U.S. should bear in mind that its failed political affairs will face inescapable deadly blows."
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