Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Key North Korean websites have been suffering intermittent outages after a nearly 10-hour shutdown yesterday.
It's not clear what caused the Internet stoppage in one of the least-wired and poorest countries in the world. Outside experts say the cause could be anything from a cyberattack to a simple power failure.
But it followed a U.S. vow to respond to a crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures that Washington blames on Pyongyang.
Analysts say if a cyberattack caused North Korea's shutdown, it would largely be symbolic since only a tiny number of North Koreans are allowed on the Internet — a fraction of Pyongyang's staunchly loyal elite, as well as foreigners.
North Korea has not issued an official response to the shutdown. But a commentary in North Korea's state media today was filled with rhetoric criticizing what it calls a failed U.S. policy on Pyongyang. It also compared the United States to the Roman Empire, which it says was "thrown into a dumping ground of history" as it sought "prosperity through aggression and war."
%@AP Links
196-w-36-(Mark Smith, AP White House correspondent, with Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman)--The Obama administration still won't say if it was behind a nearly 10-hour Internet outage in North Korea. AP White House Correspondent Mark Smith reports. (23 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *196 (12/23/14)££ 00:36
197-q-10-(Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, at news conference)-"of detailed questions"-State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf is asked if the North's Internet links going down was the result of President Obama's promised response to the hack of Sony Pictures. ((longer version of cut in wrap)) (23 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *197 (12/23/14)££ 00:10 "of detailed questions"
198-a-16-(John Swenson-Wright, head of Asia Program at Chatham House, in AP interview)-"on Sony pictures"-John Swenson-Wright, head of the Asia Program at Chatham House, says he wouldn't be surprised if the U.S. government were behind the shutdown of North Korea's internet. (23 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *198 (12/23/14)££ 00:16 "on Sony pictures"
199-a-16-(John Swenson-Wright, head of Asia Program at Chatham House, in AP interview)-"from other countries"-Analyst John Swenson-Wright, head of the Asia Program at Chatham House, notes that North Korea in recent months tried to reach out to South Korea and restart talks with the U.S. (23 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *199 (12/23/14)££ 00:16 "from other countries"
200-a-14-(John Swenson-Wright, head of Asia Program at Chatham House, in AP interview)-"the two countries"-Analyst John Swenson-Wright, head of the Asia Program at Chatham House, says a cautious approach to North Korea is wise. (23 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *200 (12/23/14)££ 00:14 "the two countries"
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
