North Korean Defector to Airdrop The Interview into North Korea
A North Korean defector now working as an activist in South Korea told the Associated Press that he plans to drop 100,000 copies of The Interview into North Korea by balloon.
Activist Park Sang-hak claims that the Human Rights Foundation is financing the production of 100,000 DVDs and USB sticks carrying copies of the film, which he will drop by balloon if weather permits.
"North Korea's absolute leadership will crumble if the idolization of leader Kim breaks down," Park told the AP.
The Human Rights Foundation did not confirm their involvement in this scheme to the AP and did not immediately return a request for comment from Gawker, although they are currently running a campaign on Indie Go Go to "smuggle and airdrop films, literature, encyclopedias, and media into information-starved North Korea."
North Korea has tried to have Park killed several times.
Update, 1:35 p.m. – From a statement provided to Gawker by the Human Rights Foundation:
It is HRF's commitment to put 100,000 copies of "The Interview" into North Korea in 2015. This effort will take place throughout the year, in conjunction with the distribution of a range of different films and media, and will be conducted in partnership with multiple defector organizations.
As one of the human rights organizations that considers property rights to be a fundamental and key component of a free society, HRF does not engage in nor does it encourage the violation of copyright or intellectual property rights. In the specific case of The Interview, we were approached by an executive from the company involved in the electronic distribution of this film and are currently in useful communications to explore the options available to make distributing this film in North Korea a reality.
"Mr. Park is the head of Fighters for a Free North Korea, one of several defector organizations that we will be working with," HRF's director of institutional affairs Alex Gladstein wrote in an email.
