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"Who's to blame for cyberattacks against official North Korean websites? South Korea and the United States, if you ask North Korea.\nInternet users in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang were complaining about choppy access on Wednesday and Thursday. The country's broadband provider said cyberattacks were compromising its servers, but didn't say where the attacks were coming from. The North Korean state news agency, however, said the \"intensive and persistent virus attacks\" were the work of hackers in South Korea and the United States, according to the Associated Press.\nSouth Korean officials denied North Korea's accusations while the United States military declined comment to the AP. Some cybersecurity experts have been pinning the blame on individual hackers within China, which has been increasingly irritated with North Korea and supported recent UN sanctions against it. U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly discussed cybersecurity in a Friday call with new Chinese President Xi Jinping.\nInternet access in North Korea returned to normal by Friday, according to users in the country. North Korea's government often uses the Internet to spread propaganda, though its outward-facing websites and other online platforms did not seem to be affected by the outage.\nSEE ALSO: Instagrams Flow as North Korea Activates New Mobile Internet\n\nNorth Korea's accusations come amidst rising tensions in the region. Under relatively new leader Kim Jong-Un, North Korea has threatened war in response to joint South Korean-American military drills as well as new United Nations sanctions that came as a response to recent North Korean nuclear and missile tests. Some analysts believe Jong-un is merely trying to assert his power, but South Korea has been on heightened military alert in case of attack from the North.\nThe vast majority of North Koreans lack access to the global Internet, a privilege reserved for elites and foreigners visiting the country. Some North Koreans can access local intranets, which are heavily restricted and most likely monitored by government censors. A mobile 3G network was recently launched in North Korea, primarily intended for use by foreigners visiting the country.\nWho do you think is behind the cyberattacks against North Korea? Share your thoughts in the comments.\nImage via iStockphoto, narvikk"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/03/15/north-korea-cyberattacks/>