That's a possibility, though it seems somewhat weak to me. I've read the theory in a few places, that Sony and the media were demanding answers, and so the administration gave them one. Conveniently, I guess, it is one that they assumed would not be believed whether they denied it or not (because who believes anything said by the North Korean government?).

I just don't know that Sony and the media industry carries so much weight that they can actually sway our government to make shit up. And, was a pleasant fiction even what they actually wanted? I guess George Clooney wanted it. And, I guess Sony wanted to be able to say, "See, it was a nation-state that did this terrible thing, not our horrendous security practices."

So, maybe it is this simple. And, others have mentioned reasonable theories about what the administration could get out of it being North Korea: Concessions from NK allies, the ability to ratchet up cybersecurity expenditures (as another arm of the military industrial complex), and redirection of attention from other issues. If the latter was the goal, it has certainly been effective. We're all talking about it, and many of us don't even believe them. So, it might not even matter if we believe the story, as long as we're not paying attention to whatever else they're up to.

I gotta get a new hat.