North Korea has denied that they are responsible for the cyber attack that allowed emails and private information from Sony to be distributed across the Internet. They proposed a joint investigation with the United States in order to find the source of the hacking.
According to the Associated Press, in proposing to work with the US on finding out the true mastermind of the hack, the country warned that “serious” consequences would come about if Washington rejected their offer.
However, analysts looked at the claims as a ploy that is usually seen by North Korea in an effort to show sincerity in wanting to prove their innocence.
A spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry, who remains unidentified, made the proposal. The spokesman claimed that they could prove their innocence and that Pyongyang was being slandered due to rumors being spread by Washington.
A statement by the spokesman read, “The U.S. should bear in mind that it will face serious consequences in case it rejects our proposal for joint investigation and presses for what it called countermeasures while finding fault.”
Reuters reported, however, that a spokesman for the White House National Security Council said the U.S. would continue to stand by what they feel is a conclusive assertion that North Korea was responsible.
Mark Stroh, who is a spokesman for the NSC, said, “We are confident the North Korean government is responsible for this destructive attack. We stand by this conclusion. The government of North Korea has a long history of denying responsibility for destructive and provocative actions.”
The FBI also concluded that North Korea was involved in the cyber attack on Sony Entertainment. If any action is taken by President Obama, he may be limited in what he can do.