海角大神

The United States says its new round of sanctions against聽North聽Korea聽is just the opening salvo in its response to an unprecedented cyber attack on Sony. Yet there may be little else the US can do to further isolate a country that already has few friends in the world.

Even the latest sanctions, handed down by President Barack Obama in an executive order, may not sting quite as badly as US would have hoped. After all,聽North聽Korea聽is already under a strict sanctions regime imposed by the US over the聽North's聽nuclear program.

The new round of sanctions unveiled Friday hit three organizations closely tied to the聽North's聽defense apparatus, plus 10 individuals who work for those groups or for聽North聽Korea's聽government directly. Any assets they have in the US will be frozen, and they'll be barred from using the U.S. financial system.

But all three groups were already on the U.S. sanctions list, and officials couldn't say whether any of the 10 individuals even have assets in the U.S. to freeze.

Still, American officials portrayed the move as a swift and decisive response to聽North聽Korean behavior they said had gone far over the line. Never before has the U.S. imposed sanctions on another nation in direct retaliation for a cyberattack on an American company.

"The order is not targeted at the people of聽North聽Korea, but rather is aimed at the government of聽North聽Korea聽and its activities that threaten the United States and others," Obama wrote in a letter to House and Senate leaders.

North聽Korea聽has denied involvement in the cyberattack, which led to the disclosure of tens of thousands of confidential Sony emails and business files, then escalated to threats of terrorist attacks against movie theaters. Many cybersecurity experts have said it's entirely possible that hackers or even Sony insiders could be the culprits, not聽North聽Korea, and questioned how the FBI can point the finger so conclusively.

Senior U.S. officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, repeated their assertion that聽North聽Koreawas responsible and said independent experts don't have access to the same classified information as the FBI.

With this round of sanctions, the U.S. also put聽North聽Korea聽on notice that payback need not be limited to those who perpetrated the attack.

The 10聽North聽Koreans singled out for sanctions didn't necessarily have anything to do with the attack on Sony, senior U.S. officials said. Anyone who works for or helps聽North聽Korea's聽government is now fair game, said the officials 鈥� especially聽North聽Korea's聽defense sector and spying operations.

Yet prominent lawmakers were already calling for an ever harsher stance. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who is set to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this year, said it was time to concede the U.S. policy on聽North聽Koreaisn't working.

Added House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif.: "We need to go further to sanction those financial institutions in Asia and beyond that are supporting the brutal and dangerous聽North聽Korean regime."

Obama has said the U.S. is considering whether to put聽North聽Korea聽back on its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Beyond that, it's unclear what additional penalties the U.S. has in its arsenal. There is no appetite for a military intervention. The U.S. has said that some elements of its response may not be seen publicly, however.

The sanctions target the country's primary intelligence agency, a state-owned arms dealer that exports missile and weapons technology, and the聽Korea聽Tangun Trading Corp., which supports defense research. The individuals sanctioned include聽North聽Koreans representing the country's interests in Iran, Russia and Syria.

There was no immediate response from聽North聽Korea. Sony declined to comment.

While denying any role in a cyberattack,聽North聽Korea聽has expressed fury over the Sony comedy flick "The Interview," which depicts a fictional assassination plot against聽North聽Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Sony initially called off the film's release after movie theaters decided not to show the film. After Obama criticized that decision, Sony decided to release the film in a limited number of theaters and online.

The White House called the sanctions "the first aspect of our response" to the Sony attack, a declaration that raised fresh questions about who was behind a nearly 10-hour shutdown of聽North聽Korean websites last week. The shutdown prompted a blunt response from聽North聽Korea's聽powerful National Defense Commission, which blamed the U.S. and hurled racial slurs at Obama, calling him a reckless "monkey in a tropical forest."