North Korea admits its supporters may have committed 'righteous' Sony cyberattack
State media denies Pyongyang itself played a role in the hacking, which comes ahead of fictional comedy about assassinating Kim Jong-un
North Korea has admitted that its supporters may have been behind the hacking of Sony Pictures over a Hollywood comedy depicting a fictional CIA plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong-un, but denied that the state itself was involved.
"The hacking into the Sony Pictures might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathisers with the (North) in response to its appeal," the North's top military body, the National Defence Commission, told the state-run KCNA news agency.
The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim, has infuriated Pyongyang, which had earlier warned of "merciless retaliation" against what it called a "wanton act of terror".
Forensics experts hired by Sony to investigate the attack said the breach was unprecedented, well-planned and carried out by an "organised group".
The hacking attack on the US movie studio late last month is known to have included the leaking of sensitive personal information on some 47,000 individuals, including celebrities.
The attack also made unreleased Sony films available on illegal file-sharing websites, with reports indicating the pattern matches past attacks carried out by the isolated state.