North Korea Sets Up Shop In Switzerland, Cracks Down On ‘The Interview’
North Korea has had a busy few days.
The long-isolated nation has been making headlines this morning, though not exactly for what you might think. Well, partly. According to Reuters, North Korea has sent a representative to a Swiss travel fair in hopes of securing tourism to the impoverished state. Ri Yong Bom, the North Korean representative, is hoping the thoughts of mountaineering, beaches, and some of the landmarks will entice tourists to visit. Some would-be tourists are just curious, as North Korea is one of the last “Iron Curtain” states left in the world.
One can assume that the North Korea tourists would see is not the country that is portrayed by amnesty and humane groups around the world. In fact, tourism is one of the few ways the North is trying to boost its economy, especially in the wake of new reports, detailed by the Inquisitr, that soldiers from North Korea are raiding the Chinese-North Korean border for food and money. However, currently North Korea has a ban on foreign travel that would need to be lifted prior to tourists being allowed into the country.
Travel across the world to Southeast Asia, and the story changes abruptly. It was reported by the New York Times that diplomats at the North Korean embassy in Myanmar have started to go to local DVD shops and asking if they are selling The Interview. For those unaware, The Interview is a movie whose plot centers around a fake CIA plan to assassinate Kim Jong Un in North Korea. As a result, the Asian nation has taken major offense with the movie and has even called it an “act of war.” Reports began to spring up about police turning up at those same shops, oftentimes with North Korea officials, to confiscate the pirated movie.
The Interview — The movie that sparked an international hacking scandal, and now a pirating crackdown in SE Asia.Myanmar officials are stating that they are confiscated because they are “unapproved and pirated,” though the media is stating that the government is caving to pressure by North Korea. According to another report by Reuters, the embassy “urged proper action by the government to halt the copying, distribution and sale of the film in Yangon.”
Between diplomats attempting to bring outsiders to North Korea, while other diplomats are trying to stop the sale of the controversial movie that sparked the Sony hacking scandal, the isolated nation has had little trouble staying in worldwide headlines. Would you visit North Korea? Let us know in the comments.
[Featured image courtesy of EPA, via The New York Post]
[The Interview image via Collider]
