Wrong film on DPRK at the wrong time

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has denied that it is responsible for the crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment which made available unreleased Sony movies on illegal file-sharing websites and resulted in the leak of sensitive personal information on about 47,000 individuals. But many still believe Pyongyang orchestrated the attack in an apparent retort to the Sony movie, The Interview, which revolves around an attempt on the life of DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and is expected to hit the screens in North America later this month.

An unidentified spokesman for the DPRK's National Defense Commission has been quoted by news agencies in Seoul as saying that the cyberattack "might be a righteous deed by the supporters and sympathizers" of Pyongyang.

In June, the DPRK denounced the film, saying it was insult to the country's supreme leadership. Indeed, the film shows little respect to the DPRK. With a comedic plot to assassinate the DPRK leader and the use of his real name, The Interview challenges Kim's leadership, which has been accepted by people of the DPRK as a whole.