[yongjik]

Err... what? Maybe I'm dense, but if you want to cause instability in a dictatorship, a blatantly Hollywood-style comedy movie where some American dudes kill the nation's leader in a graphically gruesome fashion is not what I'd expect. If anything, it will help North Korean propaganda. ("See those American Imperialists insult our great country! Death to America!")

Besides, how many North Koreans would ever see this movie, anyway?

[fit2rule]

If there is anyone in doubt in NK about their glorious leader, seeing this film may just push them over the edge, knowing that the assassination of their leader is something that the world wants. Plus, there's more to the movie than just assassination - its also a reflection of the condition of the North Korean people, and the constraints placed upon their lives by a repressive regime. Sometimes all thats needed to push the needle into the red-zone of revolution is a reminder that things are not always as they seem; while I personally think its a stupid movie from a purile industry, my opinion doesn't matter here. The North Korean people have to decide for themselves if they can do something about their dire circumstances, and what to do.. perhaps this movie will plant some hints in someones mind, and something will get done about it.

(Disclaimer: I'm no fan of Hollywood being used as a tool for propaganda against us by our own imperial, authoritarian masters, either.. its a double-edged sword..)

[nitrogen]

Besides, how many North Koreans would ever see this movie, anyway?

The number is not zero. According to a PBS Frontline documentary, there are smugglers that bring video players, USB thumb drives, and DVDs with movies into North Korea.

[xnull2guest]

Well, your analysis differs from the North Korean specialists and the State Department.

From the leaked SONY emails:

“The North has never executed an artillery attack against the balloon launching areas. So it is very hard to tell what is pure bluster from North Korea, since they use the term ‘act of war’ so commonly,” wrote Bennett. “I also thought a bunch more about the ending. I have to admit that the only resolution I can see to the North Korean nuclear and other threats is for the North Korean regime to eventually go away.”

“In fact, when I have briefed my book on ‘preparing for the possibility of a North Korean collapse’ [Sept 2013], I have been clear that the assassination of Kim Jong-Un is the most likely path to a collapse of the North Korean government. Thus while toning down the ending may reduce the North Korean response, I believe that a story that talks about the removal of the Kim family regime and the creation of a new government by the North Korean people (well, at least the elites) will start some real thinking in South Korea and, I believe, in the North once the DVD leaks into the North (which it almost certainly will). So from a personal perspective, I would personally prefer to leave the ending alone.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/17/exclusive-s...

http://nypost.com/2014/12/17/us-officials-approved-kim-jong-...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/17/the-interview-us-go...

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/the-interview-state-de...

As far as it leaking into NK, South Korean activists had promised publicly that they would fly some via the balloons Bennett mentions in the quote.

Further leaked conversation with Lynton (CEO) confirm that senior State Department officials agree with Bennett's analysis.

Oh, and executives asked Dan Sterling (the script writer) to change his character from a non-descript anonymous leader of North Korea to Kim Jong-Un and a member of the Kim family specifically.