The Sony hack: A brave new world of cyber confusion



Opinion The Sony hack: A brave new world of cyber confusion The U.S. government narrative blaming North Korea faces an unprecedented level of scrutiny from experts Tim Beal January 16, 2015 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Eric Lafforgue The hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment in late November 2014 has generated a new clash between the United States and North Korea, a furor over what by most accounts is a very bad film, a huge number of articles – for a selection of over a hundred see here – and it must be admitted a certain amount of entertainment, tempered by concern. The incident has breached a number of barriers. It is the first time the U.S. has made an assassination film, and a comedy at that, about a livingforeign leader, rather than fictional one. It is © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Opinion

The Sony hack: A brave new world of cyber confusion

The U.S. government narrative blaming North Korea faces an unprecedented level of scrutiny from experts

Tim Beal January 16, 2015

The Sony hack: A brave new world of cyber confusion

Eric Lafforgue

The hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment in late November 2014 has generated a new clash between the United States and North Korea, a furor over what by most accounts is a very bad film, a huge number of articles – for a selection of over a hundred see here – and it must be admitted a certain amount of entertainment, tempered by concern. The incident has breached a number of barriers. It is the first time the U.S. has made an assassination film, and a comedy at that, about a livingforeign leader, rather than fictional one. It is

About the Author

Tim Beal

Tim Beal did a MA (Hons) in Modern Chinese Studies at Edinburgh University, followed by a PhD there on Chinese foreign trade. He moved to New Zealand in 1987 teaching at Victoria University of Wellington until his retirement in 2009. He has written extensively on International and Asian affairs, including two books relating to Korea: ‘North Korea: The Struggle against American Power’ (London: Pluto, 2005) and ‘Crisis in Korea: America, China, and the Risk of War’ (London: Pluto, 2011). He has been visiting both Koreas since the 1990s and maintains a geopolitical website focused on the peninsula at http://www.timbeal.net.nz/geopolitics/

View more articles by Tim Beal Got a news tip?Let us know!