North Korea has tightened surveillance on smugglers to
ensure copies of “The Interview,” a controversial film based on a fictional
plot to assassinate Kim Jong Eun, does not make it into the country, the Daily
NK has learned. This move likely stems from the state’s belief that pirated
copies of the movie will be smuggled into the country on CDs or flash drives.
The film has been at the center of a heated debated and
received strong backlash from North Korea after its storyline was revealed.
Pyongyang threatened to “carry out drastic punishment” against the film
production company, as the idea of assassinating the “highest dignity” in North
Korea is considered unspeakable, if not unthinkable.
Having been in the spotlight before its delayed release, the
movie has quickly skyrocketed to the top grossing movie of the year for Google,
Inc. through online sales.
“After the mourning period [for the third anniversary of the
death of Kim Jong Il], I thought border crackdowns were over, but two days ago
they have gone on high alert again,” a source from Yangkang Province told the
Daily NK on Tuesday. “Rather than focusing on [illegal international] mobile phone calls,
they are cracking down hard on smuggled CDs and flash drives.”
“They are secretly looking into people who own smartphones
or use KakaoTalk [a popular multi-platform texting application in the South],”
the source said. “They are trying to block people from downloading the movie
through Katalk [KakaoTalk] or obtaining CDs.”
“Most residents in border areas make a living out of
cross-border trade, be it through transferring money from family members living
in China or the South and skimming off a fee, or smuggling in goods,” she explained. “Smugglers who didn’t even know about the movie ‘The Interview’
have now become aware that there is a film about assassinating the General [Kim
Jong Eun] thanks to crackdowns and surveillance.
Of border area residents, roughly half use Chinese networks
for mobile phone connectivity, according to the source. Recently, as more people
have come to use KakaoTalk on their smartphones, they have been able to
communicate with others in China and the South as well as download material.
The severe restrictions now in place on pirated CDs have
triggered greater interest among traders, smugglers, and individual travelers
visiting China on special state permits, who were previously unaware of the
content of the movie, the source said, explaining the reverse effect brought on
by the harsh crackdowns.
Following the release of the film, it has been circulating
quickly through platforms such as KakaoTalk with added Korean subtitles,
indicating it to be only a matter of time before North Koreans have access to
the movie. However, given the utmost sensitivity of the topic, people will not
be able to watch “The Interview” in the fashion that they secretly watch South
Korean TV dramas and movies, the source speculated.
“I haven’t seen the movie yet, and I haven’t heard of
anyone who has,” she added. “No one knows what will happen if you’re caught
watching a movie about the assassination of the General, and you may be
executed as an example, so people will want to protect themselves.”
The origins and motivations behind the crackdowns are clear to most, who murmur among themselves about the
need for high alerts for the livelihoods of the people rather than border
patrol. “It’s just like the saying, ‘he that commits a fault, thinks everyone
speaks of it.’ If they hadn’t done wrong to the people, why would they have to
be so on edge about restricting it?” the source pointed out.
