North Korea criticized on Sunday the United States for imposing new sanctions on Pyongyang officials and agencies in retaliation for the country's alleged involvement in the Sony cyberattacks.
"The U.S. is kicking off a noisy anti-DPRK campaign, deliberately linking the 'cyber terror' with the DPRK," a spokesman told the state-run KCNA news agency, accusing Sony of "openly agitating terrorism against a sovereign state."
"The U.S. is persistently turning down the DPRK's just proposal for joint investigation to probe the truth about the cyberattack on the Sony Pictures Entertainment. This behavior itself brings to light its ulterior motive prompted by its guilty conscience," the statement said. "The persistent and unilateral action taken by the White House to slap 'sanctions' against the DPRK patently proves that it is still not away from inveterate repugnancy and hostility toward the DPRK."
President Barack Obama issued an executive order Friday imposing additional sanctions against 10 individuals and three state-run intelligence and defense agencies.
In an effort to increase financial pressure on the regime, the sanctions aim to prevent the individuals and organizations from accessing the U.S. banking system, barring them from doing business with the U.S., reported the Financial Times.
Experts question whether additional sanctions will be effective, considering that previous sanctions haven't stopped North Korea from continuing its nuclear program.
Obama also told North Korea that the U.S. was considering putting the country back on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, which could significantly impact Pyongyang, reported The Associated Press.
Although North Korea called the cyberattack a "righteous deed," the country continues to deny responsibility, and many security experts in the U.S. have questioned evidence presented by the U.S. government.
North Korea's statement concluded, "The policy persistently pursued by the U.S. to stifle the DPRK [North Korea], groundlessly stirring up bad blood towards it, would only harden its will and resolution to defend the sovereignty of the country."
