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Obama to Respond to NKorea Cyber-Attack on Sony Pictures
by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700
Copyright
December 19, 2014
All Rights Reserved.
When
Culver City-based Sony Pictures pulled the “Interview” Dec.17, staring comedians
Seth Rogan and James Franco, fearing attacks in theaters around the country,
First Amendment gasped. Once the FBI determined that cyber attack on Sony Pictures was attributable to North
Korea, the studio made an executive decision fearing more attacks on the
company’s infrastructure. Part of
Japan’s Sony Corporation, Tokyo wants no part of a cyber-war with North Korea,
knowing how desperate and dangerous Pyongyang.
No doubt Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton will have some
explaining to do to Sony Corp.’s CEO Kazuo Hirai for making a satire about an
assassination plot on 31-year-old North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Speaking at his pre-holiday press
conference, President Barack Obama promised the U.S. would respond to Pyongyang
in a measured way.
Calling North Korea’s conduct “outside the bounds of acceptable state
behavior,” Obama understated the outrage by U.S. officials. Hoping to get help from Russia,
China or any other ally is unrealistic.
“We will respond,” said Obama.
“We’ll respond proportionately, and we’ll respond in a place and time and
manner that we choose,” leaving his options ambiguous. Obama made no bones of his
disappointment that Sony Pictures cancelled the release, without consulting
about the real threats to moviegoers around the country. Obama expressed his regrets that
Sony didn’t consult with Homeland Security before compromising the First
Amendment, allowing Kim to coerce the entertainment company to censor its
artistic work. Setting a dangerous
precedent, Sony jumped the gun, looking after its corporate interests only
three-weeks after North Korea hit Sony Pictures with malware.
Enduring cyber-attacks from North Korea and other rogue states has become
too familiar to Washington, not to mention fallout from a U.S.-based—although
Japanese headquartered—entertainment company.
“I think they made as mistake,” said Obama about Sony’s decision to
postpone and possibly cancel the picture’s release. When Sony Picture’s parent company
reviews the details, head might roll in Culver City. Pulling artistic product for fear of
more cyber-attacks sets a dangerous precedent for rogue regimes around the
globe. “We cannot have a society in
which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United
States,” said Obama laying the issue out bare.
“Because if somebody is able to intimidate folks our of releasing a
satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that
they don’t like or new reports that the don’t like,” said Barack
Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton denied caving into Kim’s threats. Earlier this week, the Culver
City-based studio admitted they have no plans for future release date for the
$44 million film. “We have not
caved, we have not given in, we have persevered and we have not backed down,”
Lynton told CNN. If pulling the
film indefinitely from its Christmas Day release, Sony Pictures didn’t
capitulate to Kim, then what did they do?
While Lynton still has his job for now, it’s possible that the
Tokyo-based parent company made the final decision. “We have always had every desire to
have the American public see this movie,” said Lynton, blowing more smoke about
his “desire” vs. the reality of yanking the movie. When Japanese-based Sony Corp.
bought Coca Cola’s Columbia pictures Sept. 1, 1987 for $200 million, no one
envisioned today’s First Amendment dilemma.
Obama has his hands tied when it comes to North Korea. No matter how rogue Kim’s North
Korea, key-U.S. ally South Korea doesn’t want the “Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea” crossing the 39th parallel, restarting the Korean War. Now the world 15th largest economy,
South Korea doesn’t want its destitute neighbor to the North wreaking havoc on
its corporate infrastructure and GDP.
With a GDP of only $14.4 billion ranked 120, wedged between Equatorial
Guinea and Botswana, Korea displays the pitiful poverty of a Stalinist state. Dealing with periodic attacks by the
North, South Korea does its best to avoid conflict and placate Kim’s failed
regime. Letting Kim intimidate the
U.S. movie-going audience with all his bluster sets a dangerous precedent. Obama sounded the right tone but has
few real options short of bombing Kim’s presidential palace.
Sony’s decision to shelve the “Interview” for the foreseeable future
sends the exact wrong message to petty dictators like Kim. “I fully expect to see more actions
like this against film studios or other soft targets,” said Jeffrey Carr, CEO of
McLean, Virginia-based Taia Global Security Company. Whether more attacks come from
North Korea or not, the U.S. can’t compromise its First Amendment rights to
stave off potential threats. Like
agencies of the U.S. government, U.S. companies must pony up what’s necessary in
cyber security, not acquiesce to foreign threats that compromise free speech or
other aspects of American life.
When you listen to Putin tell the Russian people with a straight face that the
U.S. is out to de-fang Russia and turn it into the next Yugoslavia, Obama can’t
count on Moscow for much help with North Korea. Obama must respond to Kim or risk more such attacks.
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