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North Korea has denounced the Hollywood comedy featuring a
fictional plot to assassinate the country's leader Kim Jong Un
as an act of war and threatened retaliation if the film was
released.
Lee Min-bok, a defector who left the North 20 years ago, said he
had sent DVD copies of the film, dollar notes and anti-North
leaflets in satchels tied to helium-filled balloons on four
occasions, most recently on Saturday.
The launch of leaflets infuriates Pyongyang and has in recent
months threatened to scuttle negotiations between the two
Koreas. South Korean authorities have urged activists to refrain
from launching leaflets on safety grounds, but say they have no
legal grounds to stop them.
Lee said he received an email traced to an address in Shenyang,
China, which warned his head would be "shattered by the iron
club of justice," and his arms "torn to pieces by the dagger of
judgment" if he carried out the launches.
"I will keep sending balloons no matter what," Lee told Reuters.
The email was being investigated by South Korean authorities, he
said.
Computer networks at Sony Pictures, which published the film,
were crippled late last year in an attack by hackers who leaked
unreleased films, employee data and internal emails.
The United States has said the attack was carried out by North
Korea - an allegation Pyongyang denies.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Writing by James Pearson; Editing by
Jeremy Laurence)
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