Obama Issues New Sanctions Against North Korea for Sony Hack

President Barack Obama has given the Department of the Treasury the authority to impose new sanctions on the government and economy of North Korea for its role in a devastating cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment.

News of the sanctions was made public in a press release on the website of the US Treasury. The focus of the new sanctions are three organization and 10 people known to be members of the North Korean government.

The three organizations are the Reconaissance General Bureau, which is North Korea's primary intelligence organization, the North Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation, and the Korea Tangun Trading Corporation.

The new sanctions will also affect 10 members of the North Korean government. Nine of the ten selected individuals are members of the Korean Mining Trading Development Corporation, while the last is just described as a member of the North Korean government.

The sanctions bar the individuals and organizations from using US banking institutions and make it a crime for US citizens to do business with them.

The attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment has been credited to the North Korean government by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but some computer security experts are doubtful that North Korea was truly behind the attack.

Due to the diffuse nature of the internet and digital communication, it is quite easy to create fake clues and misdirect investigators, which is why some experts have cautioned against so quickly labeling North Korea as guilty.

Many believe North Korea is responsible because the attackers explicitly demanded that Sony Pictures not release a comedic film titled, "The Interview." This is because the film was set in North Korea and revolved around a plot to assassinate its leader, Kim Jong Un.

Sony almost did not release the film, but after a public scolding from Obama and the general public, reversed course and made the film available both online and in some theaters.