Mad about free speech and North Korea? Hack back, says group

Story highlights North Korean defector who lives in U.S. calls picture pulling "embarrassing" Group seeks to harness anger over film being pulled, turned into attention on North Korea Hackathons meant to find ways to disseminate information in North Korea

The comedy lampoons North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose dynasty she loathes. Her father died in custody of North Korean security forces, who tied him by his wrist in a torturous position for 10 days without food. Her younger brother starved to death and her older sister is missing.

Read her story: A brutal choice

Jo escaped North Korea with her mother and sister, and was granted asylum in the United States in 2008, where they now reside in a quiet suburb.

When told "The Interview" would not be shown in theaters, Jo asked, "Are we that afraid? It's sort of embarrassing. I thought America is strong. If North Korea is that frightening, I think that speaks for itself."

If North Korea hacked the United States, she said, "Of course, people have to hack North Korea."

Satire and North Korea

There's nothing like canceling a satire to anger a nation. From celebrities to politicians, just about anybody with a social media account has been venting about Sony Picture's decision to pull "The Interview" from U.S. theaters. Critics say it's caving to hackers and muzzling free speech.

The FBI announced North Korea is officially responsible for the cyberattack on Sony Pictures, an attack law enforcement officials called a "game changer." In a press conference Friday, Obama said the United States will respond "proportionally" to the attack,though he would not say how it would specifically retaliate.

"Right now people are angry in the U.S., people are angry at Sony," said Alex Gladstein, director of institutional affairs at Human Rights Foundation. "It's not the greatest movie of all time, but they can't even go see it."

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Mad about free speech and North Korea? Hack back, says group