The US intelligence chief has revealed that he dined with the North Korean general believed responsible for hacking Hollywood studio Sony, during a secret mission to Pyongyang two months ago.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper gave a riveting account of the visit at a New York conference on cyber security days after the government imposed new sanctions on North Korea in retaliation for the late November attack.
He said it was "the most serious cyber attack ever made against US interests" that could potentially cost hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
He said on November 7, the first night of his mission to free two Americans, he dined with General Kim, "in charge of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the RGB, who's the organisation responsible for overseeing the attack against Sony".
Clapper did not give the general's full name but he apparently was referring to General Kim Yong-chol, director of the RGB, also known as Unit 586, one of three North Korean entities sanctioned by the United States in response to the Sony hack.
Clapper said the four-star general spent most of the time berating him about American aggression "and what terrible people we were".
"They really do believe they are under siege from all directions and painting us as an enemy that is about to invade their country every day is one of the chief propaganda elements that's held North Korea together," Clapper said.
At the end, he described presenting Kim with a letter from President Barack Obama, designating Clapper as his envoy and saying that the release of the two US citizens would be viewed as a positive gesture.
He admitted the next day was "kind of nerve-racking" and that he was not sure if they would get the two Americans back or not.
Hackers attacked Sony Pictures in late November and threatened the company over the looming Christmas release of the comedy film The Interview, which depicts a fictional CIA plot to kill North Korea's leader.
The threats led worried movie theatre owners to drop the film and then Sony cancelled the public debut altogether, before releasing it online.
The FBI said North Korea was behind the Sony intrusion. Pyongyang repeatedly denied involvement but has applauded the actions of the shadowy hacking group.
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