The Obama Administration has announced new sanctions against North Korea in retaliation for the hack attack on Sony Pictures, and threats of violence against U.S. movie theaters.

"We take seriously North Korea's attack that aimed to create destructive financial effects on a U.S. company and to threaten artists and other individuals with the goal of restricting their right to free expression," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement.

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"As the president has said, our response to North Korea's attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment will be proportional, and will take place at a time and in a manner of our choosing. Today's actions are the first aspect of our response."

The new sanctions focus primarily on North Korea's ability to acquire goods and services from the U.S. - the country already has sanctions against its nuclear program. Even though the sanctions do not mention North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, 10 North Korean officials based in Russia, Iran, Syria and other Asian countries are noted for helping the attack.

The sanctions come at an odd time, considering the FBI is holding meetings to discuss other potential attackers. Several security firms have also raised questions about the validity of North Korea, pointing to a disgruntled employee as the most likely attacker.

North Korea has not confirmed it is the attacker, but has sent threats to the U.S. government during the investigation, claiming it will bomb The White House if the U.S. does not work with North Korea to find the criminal responsible.

This is just the start of the sanctions against North Korea, and the U.S. will continue to remove services from the country. North Korea won't mind too much, considering it gets most goods from its neighbor China.

TagsPresident Obama, Obama administration, U.S., North Korea, Sony Pictures