The DOJ charged Park Jin Hyok as the mastermind behind the 2014 cyber attack that exposed tons of the studio's internal emails. It ultimately led to the ousting of several of Sony's top executives.

The attack also came just before the studio's release of "The Interview" -- the satirical flick depicting Seth Rogen and James Franco's characters' plot to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. A group that took credit, at the time, for the hacking made terroristic threats against theaters, and Sony blinked ... yanking the movie from a big screen release.

According to the DOJ ... Hyok conducted the hack on behalf of North Korea's spy agency. The FBI first pointed the finger at N. Korea back in 2014, but the DOJ charges make it official ... allegedly.

For hacking Sony and targeting others, Park was charged with 1 count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse and 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Of course, they have to catch him first.

The hack wiped data from thousands of Sony computers while also revealing super sensitive information ... like the fact Seth earned $2 million more than James for the same movie. Another email exposed a famed producer who bad mouthed Angelina Jolie.