No Laughter Allowed - North Korea and the Age of Cyber Retaliation (2014)

No Laughter Allowed - North Korea and the Age of Cyber Retaliation (2014)

In 2014, The Interview, a comedy film about North Korea, caused an unexpected international incident. The film, about the assassination of Kim Jong-un, was a provocation that offended North Korea's national "dignity." In retaliation, the Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacker group, launched a cyber attack on Sony Pictures. A red skull appeared on the screen, exposing unreleased movies and personal information, and movie theaters canceled screenings due to threats. Controversy erupted in the U.S., and President Obama condemned the attack, saying, "Freedom of speech has succumbed. The incident made it known that the state can retaliate against entertainment and free expression, and that cyberspace is the new battlefield. The incident, in which laughter sparked a war, will be remembered as a fragment of the Cold War in the 21st century.