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US retaliates against North Korea for Sony hack

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President Obama has announced the 1st phase of US sanctions against North Korea for hacking Sony Pictures.

The announcement follows a week of speculation on whether North Korea sponsored hackers in other states including China, to carry out the brazen attack on Sony Pictures.

Despite numerous experts suggesting North Korea was not capable of launching such an attack, the FBI has repeated its accusation against Pyongyang despite their public denial of the hack.

The first round of sanctions levied against North Korea target various government officials including individuals tied to the Syrian regime and the official intelligence organization.

Announced on Friday, the sanctions are the first direct retaliation by the US to punish North Korea's state sponsored hack of Sony Pictures which caused millions of dollars in damage to network systems, forcing the Hollywood studio to backtrack on 'The Interview' which was eventually released at select US theaters on Christmas Day.

After a PR tit-for-tat between the White House and Sony's CEO about the movie's canceled release, the announcement of its VOD premiere on multiple services along with a limited theatrical debut was hailed by fans and the White House.

The sanctions announced today against North Korea are the first ever retaliatory measures issued against another state for directly hacking a corporation on US soil.

Following the ordeal over Christmas for Sony, the turn of events today shows government taking action on the international stage. With strong online sales for 'The Interview' following the hack, the studio is having a much better start to 2015 than was predicted.

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