Obama: North Korean cyberattack on Sony not an act of war

President Obama on Sunday said the U.S. would weigh whether to add North Korea to its list of state sponsors of terror, though he stopped short of calling the Sony Pictures cyberattack an act of war.

"I think it was an act of cyber vandalism that was very costly, very expensive," Obama said on CNN's State of the Union. "We take it very seriously. We will respond proportionately."

The federal government last week confirmed speculation that North Korea was behind the attack. Days earlier, Sony decided to nix a buddy comedy that had been scheduled for a Christmas release about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up