North Korea says it has "clear evidence" that Washington was heavily involved in the development of the comedy movie The Interview and has threatened to retaliate. The warnings come despite Sony Pictures decision to pull the release of the Seth Rogen movie following cyber-attacks, though to be rooted in Pyongyang.

The InterviewSeth Rogen [L] and James Franco [R] head up The Interview

The accusations against the White House, which come in a 1,600-word statement, referred to the US as the "cesspool of terrorism" and called the movie "vicious and dastardly."

North Korea had "already launched the toughest counteraction" to the film, the statement added. 

More: Sony terrified of "desperately unfunny" movie The Interview

"Nothing is [a] more serious miscalculation than guessing that just a single movie production company is the target of this counteraction. Our target[s are] all the citadels of the US imperialists who earned the bitterest grudge of all Koreans," it added.

"The army and people of the DPRK are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the US in all war spaces, including cyber warfare to blow up those citadels," the statement said.

More: at the behest of North Korea, Sony cancels release of The Interview

The Interview stars Rogen and James Franco as two US TV stars who are recruited by the CIA to kill the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after securing an exclusive interview. 

North Korea says it has gained "clear evidence that the US administration was deeply involved in the making of such [a] dishonest reactionary movie".

It added: "It is not [an] exaggeration to say, in the light of the prevailing situation, that the US administration and President Obama, looking after the overall state affairs of the US, have been behind the case."

Sony has confirmed that the film will no longer get any cinematic or DVD release, effectively writing off $44 million as well as the damage caused by the hackers. 

Watch the trailer for The Interview: