TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - North Korea said U.S. accusations that the country was involved in a cyberattack on Sony Pictures were "groundless slander." They wanted a joint investigation on the incident with the U.S.
The U.S. confirms its statement that North Korea was to blame for te cyberattack against Sony. The accusation was conveyed by White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesman on Saturday, Dec 20.
U.S. President Barack Obama also blamed North Korea for the destructive cyberattack, which made Hollywood studio cancel the imminent release of "The Interview," a comedy on the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
An unnamed spokesman of North Korea's Foreign Ministry says there would be serious consequences if Washington refused to agree to the joint investigation and continued to accuse Pyongyang of committing the attack, according to the official KCNA news agency.
"We propose to conduct a joint investigation with the U.S. in response to groundless slander being perpetrated by the U.S. by mobilizing public opinion," the spokesman said. If the U.S. refuses to accept our proposal for a joint investigation and continues to talk about some kind of response by dragging us into the case, it must remember there will be grave consequences."
NSC spokesman Mark Stroh said: "We are confident the North Korean government is responsible for this destructive attack. We stand by this conclusion.” Mark said that the government of North Korea has a long history of denying responsibility for destructive and provocative actions.
REUTERS | ABDUL MANAN