The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. December 22, 2014 U.S. May Restore North Korea to Terror List; Regime Offers Joint Probe ----------------------------------------------------------------------- President Obama says the United States is considering putting North Korea back on its list of terrorism sponsors after the hacking of Sony Pictures. Last week, the movie studio nixed the release of the comedy film "The Interview" about a plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The cancellation followed threats against theaters and a hack of corporate data which officials say was ordered by the North Korean government. Speaking to CNN, President Obama said the United States will respond proportionally, but said he does not consider the hacking an act of war. President Obama: "No, I don't think it was an act of war. I think it was an act of cybervandalism that was very costly, very expensive. We take it very seriously. We will respond proportionally." North Korea has denied involvement and proposed a joint investigation with the U.S. government to prove it. In a statement, a North Korean official said: "We have a way to prove that we have nothing to do with the case without resorting to torture, as … the CIA does." The official also warned the United States of "serious consequences" if the United States rejects the proposal and launches "countermeasures." .