President Barack Obama criticized Sony Pictures Friday for
pulling a movie out of theaters in response to a cyber attack U.S.
officials blame on North Korea, saying it sets a bad precedent and
could encourage further censorship.
Mr. Obama, speaking at his final press conference of the year,
said he was sympathetic to the problem Sony faced but said, "Yes, I
think they made a mistake."
He also said the U.S. would hit back at North Korea, but
declined to say how or when.
"They caused a lot of damage, and we will respond. We will
respond proportionately, and we will respond in a place and time
and manner we choose," the president said.
The president's comments came hours after the Federal Bureau of
Investigation announced evidence pointing to the North Korean
government as the culprit behind a hack that exposed internal Sony
emails and made threats against theaters that offered the film "The
Interview," a dark comedy about a plot to kill North Korean
dictator Kim Jong Un.
"We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can
start imposing censorship here in the United States, because if
somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical
movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary
they don't like, or news reports they don't like," Mr. Obama
said.
Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com
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