South Korean Activist To Drop "The Interview" In North Korea Using Balloons

Siddharth Srinivas writes Park Sang Hak, a North Korean democracy activist, said he will start dropping 100,000 DVDs and USBs with Sony's The Interview by balloon in North Korea as early as late January. He's partnering with the U.S.-based non-profit Human Rights Foundation, which is financing the making of the DVDs and USB memory sticks of the movie with Korean subtitles.

Comments

And who will watch it?

[damn_registrars]

Are there 100,000 DVD players or PCs in private hands in North Korea? This doesn't seem like it is likely to have much effect.

Re:And who will watch it?

[jfdavis668]

Make sure it has the right location zone.

Re:And who will watch it?

[Frosty Piss]

DVD players are quite common in the North, the government produced a wide range of propaganda for public consumption. Computers, less so, but remember, they are connected to what is essentially a locked down "intranet".

Re:And who will watch it?

[BarbaraHudson]

A lot of them have dvd players and tvs, so they can watch dvds of the "Glorious Leader" or whatever he calls himself nowadays.

And you can bet they watch the propaganda, because in North Korea, TV watches YOU!.

Re:And who will watch it?

[Anonymous Coward]

I read through this report the other day:
Report of the detailed findings of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - A/HRC/25/CRP.1
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInquiryDPRK.aspx

From that document it sounded like watching/selling unapproved dvds was a major reason for people to go to the prison camps. So it can't be that rare. The report estimates that 50% had watched a foreign DVD by 2012:

214. All CDs and DVDs used in the DPRK must have a stamp to show they are government approved. Over the last few years with the growth of informal markets, movies and recorded television programmes from the Republic of Korea are increasingly being smuggled into the DPRK for use on CD/DVD players and mini disk drives. Local officials, sometimes including SSD agents, or persons connected to these officials, are often involved in secretly selling and distributing ROK films. A 2012 study on the changing media environment in the DPRK found that half of its sample reported having watched a foreign DVD.
215. Many witnesses spoke about crackdowns and inspections searching for ROK soap operas and films on DVDs, CDs and USB sticks. They recounted personally being caught and punished for watching ROK content, or knowing people who were subject to such treatment. The minimum punishment for those found to have watched South Korean films or with South Korean films in their possession was a period in a labour re-education centre.

Re:And who will watch it?

[Charliemopps]

Are there 100,000 DVD players or PCs in private hands in North Korea? This doesn't seem like it is likely to have much effect.

http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-6...

They don't even have electricity... so I doubt it.

Re:And who will watch it?

[magarity]

And you can bet they watch the propaganda, because in North Korea, TV watches YOU!.

Worse, in North Korea your neighbor watches you. People can get executed, or worse, for possessing one of these DVDs or even finding one laying on the ground and picking it up when the wrong person is passing by at the same time. I wonder if this "activist" cares about that at all.

Re:And who will watch it?

[mrsquid0]

According the the CIA's Web site (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html) the literacy rate in North Korea is 100%. Dropping pamphlets would make much more sense than dropping DVDs & USB sticks. This seems to be a publicity stunt, or an ego trip, more than a real attempt to sow dissatisfaction within North Korea.

Re:And who will watch it?

[mysidia]

Seen what North Korea looks like at night?

In North Korea, less than 25% of the population has any access to electric power. I doubt if there will be a whole lot of DVD watching..... maybe in schools, or when the rich guy down the street has a party and invites the whole street block to his/her showing of the DVD.

Re: And who will watch it?

[NoKaOi]

Technically, it is an Internet, not an intranet. However, it's not the Internet.

Technically, it's an internet, not an Internet. The Internet is an internet, but an internet is not necessarily the Internet.

Re:And who will watch it?

[Half-pint HAL]

What? That's a ridiculous comparison. If someone was to send you a parcel of cocaine and you got arrested because the police did a random check that day, then you'd agree that the guy who sent the drugs screwed you over. This is contraband. Sending it over risks getting the recipients killed.

Re:And who will watch it?

[lgw]

There have been many such balloon propaganda efforts - I think the religious ones are common. This is just the latest, and perhaps funniest. Don't underestimate the value of mocking the dictator - it seems petty here, but in a world where no one ever does that, it's powerful. This particular movie is pretty lame, but don't they actually kill KJU off at the end? That's a nice message there.

Re:And who will watch it?

[UnknowingFool]

The North Korean people do have access to DVD players and computers. North Korea isn't in the stone ages when it comes to some technology as some people have access to cell phones. One of main problems has been a lack of enough food and totalitarian control of outside communication like the Internet . In this Frontline report, blackmarkets items include DVDs and thumb drives smuggled from China (24:20).

Re: And who will watch it?

[S.O.B.]

Technically, it isn't an internet (International Network) as it is only national.
It is a lot closer to an intranet than an internet

The "inter" part of "internet" stands for "interconnected" not "international". So North Korea does have an internet (interconnected network) but their internet is not connected to the Internet.

Re:And who will watch it?

[quantaman]

There have been many such balloon propaganda efforts - I think the religious ones are common. This is just the latest, and perhaps funniest. Don't underestimate the value of mocking the dictator - it seems petty here, but in a world where no one ever does that, it's powerful. This particular movie is pretty lame, but don't they actually kill KJU off at the end? That's a nice message there.

There's also the fact that whatever NK has been selling it's population about the west will have nothing to do with reality. The two main characters will humanize westerners, the portrayal of Kim will contradict his mystique, and the production value will hurt the effectiveness of NK productions.

It's definitely a long shot at making any positive difference, but I don't think it's a complete write-off. Media can be powerful, maybe this does provide an opportunity for some North Koreans to bond over poking fun at the leader.

Re: And who will watch it?

[clonehappy]

While I agree with you on a philosophical level, keep in mind that North Korean authorities probably aren't (in comparison) as understanding and level-headed as those in Germany, or (gasp) even the United States!

Re: And who will watch it?

[Mashiki]

Somehow I'll trust the chaos computer club calling it a intranet over your definition.

Re: And who will watch it?

[Grishnakh]

I never said it was a good idea. I don't think it would actually work. The NK government isn't the brightest bunch of people around, but I don't think they're quite that stupid for this to work out.

Re: And who will watch it?

[diamondmagic]

The Internet is a proper noun.

They have a network of some sort; it is effectively not the Internet.

Re: And who will watch it?

[TapeCutter]

Inter = between, net - network. NK has what used to be called a WAN.

Re:And who will watch it?

[Megol]

Even the children born and raised inside the worst kind of camps learn to read. They don't learn much more than that but given that they'll never exit the camp (not even as dead) and will never work with something qualified that is enough... :/

Re:And who will watch it?

[Anonymous Coward]

NK actually has a pretty decent literacy rate, even if there isn't a very wide range of materials for them to read.
They have to have some way of reading the messages that their Glorious Leader throws at the, probably.

Re: And who will watch it?

[Mashiki]

Oh look, someone left the stormfront open again.

Re: And who will watch it?

[K. S. Kyosuke]

An intranet and an internet (or an internetwork, as it was called in ye olde days) are two different things.

Re:And who will watch it?

[ArsonSmith]

When I was stationed there the north did similar with pamphlets all the time. As an american solder we would pick them up, unable to read them. I asked a Korean solder what it said and he wouldn't even look at it and told me to get rid of it. The south wasn't (20+ years ago) much different.

Re:And who will watch it?

[rtb61]

The are two points of view on that. Most certainly the people of North Korea are suffering under the egotistical and lust driven machinations of psychopaths but it is the people of North Korea who are ultimately responsible for their being victims. The people of North Korea are teaching the rest of us a very valuable lesson, cowardice and obedience bring horrible punishments to by far the majority far worse than the suffering of a minority, two minorities, the minority who died bringing an end to the minority who killed them and that minority who dies being a necessary part of the majority who resist.

So always choose to resist or become North Koreans living in fear and misery trapped by their own cowardice. Never ever allow your 'Political Leaders' to demand respect from the electorate, always demand that you 'Political Representatives' respect the electorate. Next time someone talks about political leaders rather than political representatives, demand they bend over and give them a swift kick up the arse for being idiots. In a democracy you never ever elect people to lead you, you elect them to represent you, otherwise you are destined to become another North Korean.

Re:And who will watch it?

[Solandri]

They're more common than you'd think. This isn't the first movie to be sent to North Korea. These groups (many of them staffed and financially backed by North Korean defectors) have been sending a steady diet of South Korean dramas and K-pop to North Korea for several years now. It's actually what convinced many of them to defect - it made them realize their government had been lying to them about South Korea being a pauper nation.

Re:And who will watch it?

[AqD]

It'll convince them Americans are good people when they come to blow Kim's head off.

Re:And who will watch it?

[Maritz]

"activists" tend to care more about publicity then the "cause".

Given a choice of simply leaving North Korea alone (small isolated country and all) or provoke them by doing this and possibly hurting its citizens in return for nothing of real value... .what does an "activist" do?

Maybe he doesn't share your opinion that it's nothing of real value.

Re: And who will watch it?

[fuzzy2k]

Technically, let's just call it the Korean Network (KN) to distinguish it from the nation of North Korea (NK) and move on.

Can he drop one at my house?

[jfdavis668]

That way I don't have to pay for it, I heard it's not that good.

Work Camps

[pawned]

And how many innocent NK citizens will be consigned to labor camps, for possessing imperialist propaganda blaspheming the "Great Leader?"

Re:Work Camps

[painandgreed]

And how many innocent NK citizens will be consigned to labor camps, for possessing imperialist propaganda blaspheming the "Great Leader?"

Ten or more years ago, probably a lot. These days, not so much the case. It was always the case the NKs, even in the bad old days would contact people to alter their state supplied radios to pick up SK broadcasts. Currently VHS is fairly common as are SK soap operas smuggled in from China whose border became porous as people looked for food in the 90's. Where defectors used to be quite rare and usually only the upper elite who ran because their lives were in danger, these days, the flow of normal people through China to SK is common enough that the NK government is suspected of sending people specifically to work in SK and send back money. Not to say people aren't still brainwashed, or won't get in trouble for having such items, but it is probably already an issue of "if they want you" rather than "if you've done something wrong".

Re:Work Camps

[Anonymous Coward]

compared to having to watch that movie a labor camp will be a pleasant walk in the park.

Great way to get rid of the curious ones

[future assassin]

that pick them up and get executed.

Haven't the North Korean people suffered enough?

[Anonymous Coward]

We have to subject them to Seth Rogen, too?

Re:Trololololololol!

[Noah Haders]

i predict that only good things can come of this action. Oh wait, I just remembered that I suck at predicting things.

Payment for DVDs...

[Glasswire]

I assume the group involved is at least paying Sony a wholesale price for those DVDs. (Which I didn't think had been released yet enyway)
Surely they wouldn't engage in piracy. :-)
   

Re:Payment for DVDs...

[WillAffleckUW]

They probably bought the bulk DVDs from a Sony store.

S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idiot.

[Tsolias]

I'd rather drop 100.000 bags w/ food over Africa than try to impress the public with idiotic moves, or drop 100.000 DVDs full of e-books rather than a piece of useless crap to entertain several thousands for a couple of hours.

Re:Nth Koreans will shoot anyone caught with it

[wisnoskij]

0/5 Stars: Totally not worth getting executed for.

Re:Good use of money?

[bill_mcgonigle]

What benefit could this have, other than perhaps slightly undermining the government's authority?

Since it's obviously not a documentary, it's clearly a dirty lie, and I'm assuming Rogan and crew are their usual raunchy selves, it would probably actually serve to reenforce the propaganda from the State that the world is sick outside DPRK (if anybody had the gear to play it).

DVDs and CDs are so last decade

[WillAffleckUW]

It's as if North Korea is such a backwater that they don't have 40 GB/s Net2 service like ... oh, wait, neither does the US ... my bad.

Re:S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idi

[WillAffleckUW]

Dumping food on countries kills off the local farms, causing even greater food insecurity.

Think before you drop bags of food on people's heads, crushing their farm animals and houses.

Re:Let's Do It Right!

[TeknoHog]

Nuke them with the DVDs from the orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Re:Good use of money?

[halivar]

There is also a psychological factor. In NK, the Kim dynasty is deified. In all aspects of North Korean life, the leader is worshiped as a god, with all the attribution of miracles that entails. To mock him openly is to challenge his deity. The point is not to convince North Koreans, but to introduce cognitive dissonance into their worship, thereby undermining Kim's absolute authority. The beauty of it is that no one even has to watch it; the very existence of the movie, and the average North Koreans knowledge of it, is sufficient to this task.

I feel sorry for north koreans

[bloodhawk]

I feel sorry for north Koreans, haven't they suffered enough? Being given that dogshit movie could count as a war crime.

Re:I feel sorry for north koreans

[Tablizer]

NK should get even by re-editing the movie to make it actually entertaining, and sending it back.

31c3 / Computer Science in the DPRK

[burni2]

Actually due to close ties with China, people in North Korea (official DPRK) have access to android phones and even tablets,
just look at the talk from Will Scott which he gave on this years 31c3 at Hamburg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Unintended Consequences

[Anonymous Coward]

No one could predict what would happen when North Koreans finally saw The Interview. After deposing the Kim Dynasty, the Norks installed a new government, a "Brotacracy" where rule was determined by whoever in the country could drink the most alcohol and live. All propaganda was outlawed, and television became a continuous stream of dick jokes and scantily clad women. And worshiped all men was the Great Rogan, the Light-Bringer, and His Prophet Franco, who bequeathed to the Church of Nork the great commandments of partitude and hedonism. Then the nukes flew, as the nations of the world united to purge this cancer from the world forever.

Re:Why?

[AchilleTalon]

I don't know, maybe they are paying rights to Sony Pictures and it will boost sales by 100 000 copies.

What could possibly go wrong?

[bsolar]

I somehow doubt that the North Korean regime would react sympathetically.

Re:What could possibly go wrong?

[bsolar]

This is easy to say when the target of the anger is somebody else.

Bribery loves company

[burni2]

Actually, this is only partially true, north korea is very very complex and the judgement brought to you depends on your status in the hierachy of the system.

(pff.. comunism .. everyone is equal, except that the kims are more equal than others and the politcal elite and the military ..)

If you are part of the "elite" and not doing public display of disobedience you will not be searched or the guards will see nothing, or what's actually mostly the case if your hierachy status is too low, they will have an open hand (bribery) - if you are not even elite, you will need much money,

If you fail all these you are going to labour camp, and there your have a high chance of being executed.

If you are from military and doing these searches you don't want to handcuff a son of the elite, because that would be your death sentence.

NK to the outside wants to be seen as a perfect "democratic" totalitrian system (there are elections!!, however no more than one of everything) - where there is no way around than for all to vote for Kim ***** because (sarcasmtag_on) he is the perfect leader and it's certianly true that everybody knows that ... those who didn't know, well they were *executed*(sarcasmtag_off)

North Korea is at somewhat place three or so as the most corrupt countries, this might sound crazy however, if you
gain a deeper understanding of NK and their people, you will recognize most of them are "normal" under extraordinary circumstances. NK is extremely eliterian, if you are in PyongYang you are part of the elite, there are other biggerish cities that also are elitarian.

If you are working in the military you are part of the "elite" .. think of a 1000 steps hierachy if you are not below 800 you are "elite" and in NK you will do much to keep that status or to rise up.

Re:S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idi

[Noah Haders]

what does California have to do with anything.

Re:S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idi

[Noah Haders]

ask the people of ireland how that turned out. UK let a third of the population die from hunger rather than provide help. that's cold bro.

Pirated copies?

[Thurmont]

Sony has only released this movie via streaming and a few theaters so far. Where are they planning on getting these DVD's and USB copies? Are we talking pirated copies? If so then could Sony and North Korea at some point be on the same side in protesting this scheme? Copyright law makes for some strange bedfellows.

Re:Pirated copies?

[pbjones]

South Korea is making the copies, they are breaking copyright. I see this as simply poking a bear with a stick, stupid idea.

Re:S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idi

[Livius]

Like most things, there are both short-term and long-term consequences, and both need to be considered.

Re:S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idi

[phantomfive]

He's a North Korean. He's doing it to help his fellow citizens. Will it help them? I don't know.

Dick move

[YoungManKlaus]

rather send the guys something actually funny, they don't need yet another unfunny thing in their lives.

So they're admitting...

[stox]

that this movie is a bomb?

Re:S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idi

[dissy]

Think before you drop bags of food on people's heads, crushing their farm animals and houses.

As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!

Huh

[Culture20]

Great minds think alike. Don't forget to include portable DVD players!

Oh dear lord...

[jimmetry]

It's like AOL all over again.

Re:S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idi

[Lord Apathy]

As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!

You deserve to be modded up just for that obscure '70 reference. I deserve to be modded up because I recognized it.

What are they trying to achieve?

[Casandro]

I mean seriously, that's just a bad movie. Apparently even so bad it mostly discredits its makers.

If you want do spend thousands of Euros to drop DVDs, drop something more intelligent. Something that actually makes people think, not something the government can easily discredit as the product of some deranged individuals.

Good

[twitnutttt]

now north koreans will know what stankdick is.

Someone didn't think this through.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Hey guys, look how great we are! Here's a terrible comedy making really bad jokes at your expense and where we graphically murder your ruler as part of a secretive CIA plot! Woot democracy!

It'd be like the US sending King Ralph into the UK as Republican propaganda.

But...

[MitchDev]

it's a Seth Rogan movie, isn't making someone watch it a crime against humanity?

uhhh...

[SuperDre]

And just plainly ignore the fact it's a commercial movie and to do what they want to do needs the explicit permission of Sony to be able to copy and distribute it...
And they simply don't even think about the enviroment, how many of those balloons will actually end up in the hands of people instead of just being dumped in the woods and streams and affecting wildlife...
The idea is great, but as always with a lot of those lefties, they don't think it through what the actual results are....

Re:Let's Do It Right!

[Maritz]

You don't think the US military can afford a few million on fuel, salary and DVDs? They spend that every day. Probably doesn't help the deficit, mind you.

Re:S. Korean Idiot tries to piss off N. Korean idi

[Maritz]

"Mr. Irishman, would you have rather starved or suffer English influence through English charity?"

Uh, Ireland was entirely under British control at the time. Kinda makes what you're just after saying look really stupid.

Re:What kind of activism is this

[Maritz]

Conciliation? With a fat despot? The only just outcome involves the little cunt being dragged through the streets along with his enablers.