“If the United States administration on tacitly approves or supports the release of this film, we will take a decisive and merciless countermeasure.”
Seth Rogen and James Franco's newest film The Interview, is about two entertainment reporters who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.
Rogen also co-wrote and co-directed the film.
On Wednesday, North Korean officials who learned about the plot of the film, warned Hollywood against releasing The Interview, deeming the movie an "act of war."
A spokesperson for North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that if the U.S. administration "tacitly approves or supports the release of this film, we will take a decisive and merciless countermeasure."
There was no mention of a specific form of retaliation, although some news agencies are reporting that Kim Jung-Un is threatening war over the film.
The spokesman also accused Washington of "provocative insanity" in allowing a "gangster filmmaker" to defile the communist nation's supreme leader. He said that North Korean citizens and soldiers are feeling "a gust of hatred and rage."
John M. Heller / Getty Images
The North Korean government, who retaliates against any hint of criticism or ridicule and forbids independent press, lashes out publicly against those who mock its dictator.
Kim Jong-Un's predecessor, his father Kim Jung-Il, was known to have been a fan of Hollywood movies, specifically the James Bond series. He even wrote a book called "On the Art of Cinema," the New York Times reports.
Kim Jung-Un may have inherited his father's passion; In 2012, North Korean state television showed him giving a thumbs-up while a band played the "Rocky" theme song. Earlier this month, the Guardian reported that an "unofficial" spokesperson for the Jung-Un said the dictator would probably watch the movie" even though it was about an attempt to assassinate him.
He's clearly changed his tune.
