North Korea blames U.S. for Internet attack, calls Obama a 'monkey'

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s National Defense Commission on Saturday blamed the U.S. for shutting down its Internet and called President Obama a “monkey.”

The North’s attack came amid allegations that its operatives hacked Sony and threatened theaters planning to show the Sony Pictures movie "The Interview."

The North's National Defense Commission said Obama was behind the release of the film and called him a "monkey inhabiting a tropical forest."

The regime denies involvement in a crippling cyberattack on Sony but has expressed fury over the comedy depicting an assassination of its leader Kim Jong Un. After Sony initially called off the release in a decision criticized by Obama, the movie has opened this week.

The defense commission also accuses Washington for being responsible for intermittent outages of North Korea websites this week.

The commission says the U.S. will face consequences for its hostility.