PRIME TIME NEWS 22:00 U.S. imposes new sanctions on N. Korea over Sony Pictures hacking

ARIRANG NEWS 22:00 Hello... it′s Saturday the third of January... you are tuned in to our late night newscast coming to you from Arirang′s News Center in Seoul. Thanks for joining us,... I′m Mark Broome. Title: U.S. imposes new sanctions on N. Korea over Sony Pictures hacking We begin with news that the United States has announced a spectrum of new sanctions against North Korea in its response to the cyber attack on Sony Pictures. The White House says this is just the "first aspect"... suggesting even more punitive measures could be in the works. Connie Lee starts us off. New sanctions have been slapped on North Korea by the United States... for Pyongyang′s alleged cyber attack on Sony Pictures. The White House says this is just the "first aspect" of the U.S. response to the Sony incident so more could be on the way. The new sanctions for now... are on three North Korean organizations,... and ten individuals... who, according to the U.S. Treasury Department... are North Korean officials working in Iran, Syria, China, Russia and Namibia. U.S. authorities say, however, that they are not directly linked to the cyber hacking. The three sanctioned companies include the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is Pyongyang′s military intelligence agency... and the Korea Mining Development Trading Corp and Korea Tangun Trading Corp two organizations linked to the North′s nuclear weapons program. President Obama signed the executive order on Friday. The White House says this is in response to North Korea′s "provocative and repressive actions"... of the cyber hacking... and that the sanctions have been imposed to further isolate Pyongyang′s defense industry. The U.S. has placed sanctions on North Korea before, for its nuclear weapons program... but it′s the first time the U.S. has sanctioned any country for a cyber attack. The massive hack attack on Sony Pictures in November led the Hollywood-based studio to temporarily pull its Christmas Day release of the comedy film "The Interview"... out of safety concerns. The film, which depicts the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un... has been condemned by North Korea, but Pyongyang continues to deny any involvement in the hacking. The FBI and the White House have previously said North Korea was behind the attack, but a number of cyber experts have cast doubt over the accusations. Connie Lee, Arirang News. Title: S. Korea to prioritize family reunions if two Koreas hold talks this month The South Korean government says that, if North Korea accepts its proposal for high-level talks later this month,... it will make sure the main focus is on restarting reunions for families separated since the Korean War. Officials in Seoul are aiming to organize a reunion event as early as next month, during the Lunar New Year holiday. The government says it wants to find a fundamental solution to ensure reunions are held regularly in the y