Update On Sony Hacking: North Korea Restores Internet Calls US a Toothless Wolf

From Daily Mail Online:

North Korea has branded the U.S. a 'toothless wolf' whose 'strength is waning day by day' in the latest round of tough-talk following on from the Sony hacking scandal.

A column in the country's national newspaper Rodong Sinmun, which is run by the ruling Communist party, called America an 'empire of devils' that is 'bound to grow old and go to ruin.'

Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea began rising last month after Sony Pictures was hacked for producing The Interview, a film which depicts the assassination of the country's 'supreme ruler', Kim Jong-Un. 

While North Korea has denied being behind the hack, a government official called it a 'righteous act' and threatened to attack cinemas showing the film, leading to the launch being cancelled.

President Barack Obama publicly chastised Sony for pulling the film, before promising a 'proportional response' to the hack, before North Korea's internet was taken offline yesterday.

The U.S. has also refused to acknowledge it had attacked North Korean cyberspace, but the outage prompted an angry response today.

According to The Telegraph, the column reads: 'The sound of gunfire has never stopped on this planet since the US made its bloodstained appearance in the world.

'The world is shaking with rage, witnessing the brutal infringement upon sovereignty and human rights abuses. Meanwhile, the strength of the US is now waning day by day.

'No matter how desperately the US may roar, it is nothing but roar of a toothless wolf.

'The incarnation of all sorts of evil, the empire of devils, is bound to grow old and go to ruin. This is the law governing the historical development.'

North Korea's internet was downed for nine hours yesterday after its main link, which runs through northern China, came under attack.

Although very few citizens in North Korea have access to the internet, it allows the country's state media and government to link to the outside world. 

While no source could be traced for the attack, a State Department spokeswoman alluded to the U.S. being behind the attack.

Asked about the outage, Marie Harf said: 'We are considering a range of options in response.

'We aren’t going to discuss, publicly, operational details about the possible response options - or comment on those types of reports in any way - except to say that as we implement those responses some will be seen, some may not be seen.'

'So I can’t confirm those reports, but in general, that’s what the president has spoken to.'

The hacking scandal has been personally embarrassing for high ranking Sony executives, who have seen embarrassing email exchanges about A-list celebrities made public.

Even the British Royal Family have been caught up in the scandal after employee's pay details were published, apparently showing that Princess Beatrice had been paid £19,500 a year to work there as an intern.

South Korea has also issued a warning after the computer network which controls its 23 nuclear reactors was hacked yesterday.

The country's president Park Geun-hye said a 'grave' series of data leaks had occurred, and added that prosecutors were investigating a new online threat.