SEOUL (Reuters) – The comedy on the fictional assassination of North Korea’s leader is “desperately unfunny” and would have flopped overseas if it had not been canceled, according to leaked e-mails of international executives of Sony Pictures. Sony Corp scrapp... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Sony Pictures has canceled the release of a comedy on the fictional assassination of North Korea’s leader, in what appears to be an unprecedented victory for Pyongyang and its abilities to wage cyber-warfare. Hackers who said they were ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hollywood filmmakers and actors voiced outrage on Wednesday after Sony Pictures pulled the release of North Korea parody “The Interview,” following threats from hackers who waged a massive cyberattack on the movie studio. Actors Ben Sti... More »
BOSTON (Reuters) – The New York premiere of “The Interview”, a Sony Pictures comedy about the assassination of North Korean President Kim Jong-Un, has been canceled and a source said one theater chain had scrapped plans to show it, after threats from a hacking... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – The head of Sony Pictures consulted with a senior U.S. official in June, days after North Korea threatened “merciless countermeasures” over the release of an upcoming film featuring a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un, leaked emails show... More »
Los Angeles (Reuters) – All was calm on Thursday at the Los Angeles premiere of Sony Pictures’ parody film “The Interview”, which had been in the spotlight for sparking tension with North Korea and potentially prompting a major cyber hack on the company. Stars... More »
NEW YORK/SEOUL (Reuters) – Sony Corp. Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai ordered the film “The Interview” to be toned down after Pyongyang denounced it for depicting the assassination of North Korea’s leader, according to emails apparently stolen from Sony’s Hollywoo... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Just days after a massive hacking attack on employees at Sony’s Hollywood studio, distributor of the new James Franco comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the actor wasted no time as host of “Saturday Night L... More »
LOS ANGELES/BOSTON (Reuters) – Forensics experts hired by Sony Corp to investigate the massive cyber attack at its Hollywood studio said the breach was unprecedented, well-planned and carried out by an “organized group,” according to an email obtained by Reute... More »
SEOUL/BOSTON (Reuters) – The Pyongyang government’s state-run media said the cyber attack on Sony’s Hollywood studio may have been the work of pro-North Korean supporters in a report on Sunday that dismissed charges that the country itself was to blame as “wil... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Korea is a principal suspect in the cyber attack on Sony Pictures, a U.S. national security source told Reuters on Thursday, while a North Korean diplomat denied Pyongyang was behind the crippling hack. The U.S. government’s invest... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sony Pictures Entertainment is investigating to determine if hackers working on behalf of North Korea might be responsible for a cyber attack that knocked out the studio’s computer network earlier this week, the technology news site Re/c... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Wednesday for deeper ties with North Korea to improve regional security, a day after holding talks with a personal envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Senior North Korean officials visit Mosco... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is sending officials to reclusive North Korea to keep up pressure for an investigation into the fate of its citizens kidnapped decades ago to train spies, the prime minister said on Wednesday. Japan eased some sanctions on North Korea i... More »
VIENNA (Reuters) – The U.N. nuclear watchdog said it has seen releases of steam and water indicating that North Korea may be operating a reactor, in the latest update on a plant that experts say could make plutonium for atomic bombs. North Korea announced in A... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea and China agreed on Monday recent nuclear activity by North Korea posed a serious threat to the peace and stability of the region and Pyongyang must not conduct a nuclear test, the South said after a meeting of their top diplomats... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea on Monday accused U.S. and South Korean authorities of fabricating the results of a probe that concluded Pyongyang sent small surveillance drones, or unmanned aircraft, to spy on key South Korean installations in March. A spokesma... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea fired artillery close to a disputed maritime border with the South on Monday, prompting the South to fire back, although the military exercise appeared to be yet more saber rattling from Pyongyang rather than a prelude to a sharp ... More »
THE HAGUE/TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama brought together the leaders of Japan and South Korea for their first face-to-face talks as a North Korean ballistic missile launch underscored the need for Washington’s two key Asian allies to repair the... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The ageing parents of a 13-year-old Japanese girl abducted nearly 40 years ago by North Korea urged their government on Monday to heed signs of change in Pyongyang in order to find out what happened to their daughter. Japan and North Korea ar... More »
GENEVA (Reuters) – China dismissed a U.N. report alleging North Korea has committed crimes against humanity on Monday, effectively confirming the fears of human rights advocates that Beijing will shield its ally Pyongyang from international prosecution. The re... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea demanded that South Korea and the United States halt annual military drills due in February and March, saying they were a direct provocation, a statement that suggested a re-run of a sharp escalation in tension last year. But in a... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Retired U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman appealed on Monday for the world to set aside politics, if only for a day, as he arrived in China from North Korea where he sparked an outcry with comments over an American imprisoned there. The 52... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea on Monday with a team of retired professional basketball players to mark the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. This marks Rodman’s fourth trip to the North Korean ca... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – An international media frenzy over reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle had been executed by throwing him to a pack of dogs appears to have originated as satire on a Chinese microblogging website. The story, which spread like ... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea on Monday excoriated Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, for what it described as a slew of criminal acts, confirming the spectacular downfall of the once second most powerful man in the reclusive state. The sacking ... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle, considered the power behind the throne, is believed to have been dismissed from his posts, a South Korean lawmaker said on Tuesday, suggesting a huge upheaval in one of the world’s most secretive state... More »
VIENNA (Reuters) – Activity has been observed at a North Korean nuclear site that is consistent with an effort to restart a reactor, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said on Thursday. North Korea announced in April that it would revive its... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A haircut and some makeup was all it took for a Hong Kong musician to transform himself into one of the world’s most notorious dictators, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. When Kim inherited power from his dead father, friends teased the A... More »
SEATTLE (Reuters) – The mother of jailed U.S. missionary Kenneth Bae has arrived in North Korea to visit her ailing son, who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in May on charges of state subversion, his family said on Thursday. Myunghee Bae was expected t... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The United States and Japan agreed on Thursday to modernize their defense alliance for the first time in 16 years to address growing concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program, global terrorism, cyber intrusions and other 21st century threa... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea showed off on Tuesday new missiles designed to target North Korea’s artillery and long-range missiles and vowed to boost deterrence against its unpredictable neighbor. The ballistic Hyeonmu-2, with a range of 300 km (190 miles), a... More »
PYONGYANG (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided on Thursday over a commemoration at a war cemetery as the country prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of what is sees as its victory in the Korean War with defiance of old enemy the United States... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s vice-president, an unusually high ranking official to visit North Korea, will lead a delegation to attend festivities there marking the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. Li Yuanchao is China’s vice president and a membe... More »
PANAMA CITY/MIAMI (Reuters) – A U.N. team is due to arrive in Panama next month to inspect a North Korean ship which was seized carrying arms from Cuba, a potential breach of U.N. sanctions that the United States said was “incredibly concerning.” The five-memb... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan faces increasingly serious threats to its security from an assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea, a defense ministry report said on Tuesday, as ruling politicians call for the military to beef up its ability to respond to suc... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea rushed to the defense of American civil liberties on Tuesday, saying revelations of mass surveillance operations showed the United States was the “kingpin” of rights abuse. Rights groups and defectors have long accused the North, ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Attorney General Eric Holder personally approved a decision to subpoena Fox News telephone records as the Justice Department investigated an unauthorized leak regarding North Korea, officials said on Tuesday. The Justice Department did n... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder personally approved a decision to subpoena Fox News telephone records as the Justice Department investigated an unauthorized leak regarding North Korea, according to two sources familiar with the matter.... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union told North Korea on Wednesday the increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula did not justify pulling out EU states’ diplomats. Sweden, acting on behalf of the 27-nation EU, gave the message to the North Korean foreign m... More »
