An artillery firing drill is underway at a South Korean military unit near the border with North Korea in Goseong County, Gangwon Province, on Dec. 16, 2014. (Yonhap)
Sony Pictures has decided to cancel the release of “The Interview” due to the fact many movie theaters decided not to show the film due to the various threats made online against anyone showing it. This decision has upset celebrities because it appears North Korea who the US government has supposedly linked to the hack has been able to silence free speech in the US:
Celebrities expressed their outrage at Sony Picture’s decision to cancel plans to release “The Interview” on Christmas Day on Twitter.
The news comes after many major theater owners canceled next week’s screenings of the controversial film, which depicts the assassination of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.
U.S. investigators appeared ready to blame North Korea for the crippling hack attack at Sony Pictures, which saw the leak of internal emails and personal information that escalated to a threat that people should avoid going to theaters where “The Interview” is playing.
When the film was pulled, celebrities vented their disappointment and raised concerns about the precedent it would set for controversial films in the future.
Actor Judd Apatow, a friend of one of the film’s lead actors Seth Rogen, tweeted: “I think it is disgraceful that these theaters are not showing The Interview. Will they pull any movie that gets an anonymous threat now?
West Wing actor Rob Lowe, who also makes a cameo appearance in the film said: “Wow. Everyone caved. The hackers won. An utter and complete victory for them. [CNN]
You can read much more celebrity feedback at the link. However, I cannot blame the theaters because I think they are less worried about a bomb attack, but instead more worried about being hacked like Sony was. I’m sure all these movie companies are probably now doing huge reviews of their network security right now. Yes if North Korea was behind this attack they have effectively been able to silence Hollywood and even silence future movies about North Korea:
The shockwaves from the Sony hack have finally reached Hollywood’s development community, as New Regency has pulled the plug on its Steve Carell movie “Pyongyang,” which Gore Verbinski had been prepping for a March start date, an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.
Based on the graphic novel by Guy Delisle, “Pyongyang” is a paranoid thriller about a Westerner’s experiences working in North Korea for a year. [The Wrap]
A plus for all of this out this hack is that the Kim regime has saved us from watching what reviewers are calling not a great movie. On a downside it looks like there will never be a Team America Part 2.
This just goes to show that anyone that had anything remotely to do with what went wrong with the Sewol tragedy is coming under fire:
The state auditor will request the Ministry of National Defense to take disciplinary action against Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Hwang Ki-chul and hold him responsible for a case of defense industry corruption involving a faulty Navy ship, insiders said Tuesday.
The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) concluded that Hwang was deeply engaged in the process of selecting a supplier of an outdated sonar system for the first domestic-made rescue and salvage ship, the 3,500-ton Tongyeong, in January 2009. At that time he was serving as head of the department in charge of the vessel project at the military procurement agency.
Launched in September 2012, the ship failed to take part in the rescue operation after the Sewol ferry sank in April because of the malfunctioning sonar system. It sparked a huge controversy over deep-rooted corruption in the nation’s defense industry.
According to the BAI, Hwang pushed for a purchase agreement with the supplier even before the Defense Acquisition Program Administration secured the proper evaluation data. He also gave the company preference by postponing the deadline twice for submitting a plan for the project. [Korea Times]
It will be interesting to see if South Korea goes the way of the US with affirmative action laws:
With a soaring number of migrants in society, Korea should push for affirmative action measures to help curb discrimination, promote coexistence with those from various backgrounds and bring about inclusive growth, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said.
The city government has been working with the International Organization for Migration for the first International Migrants Day campaign in Seoul to kick off Thursday, aimed at promoting awareness about migrants by highlighting their contributions to Korea.
Given rampant bias that often turns into hate speech, affirmative action plans similar to those in the U.S. will play a significant role in boosting public understanding about migrants and building a social safety net for the minorities, Park said.
“It will take a long time to practically achieve equal rights in society as far as (discrimination) remains embedded in the people’s subconscious, which is why I think we need affirmative action,” he said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. [Korea Herald]
This guy is claiming he was just being multicultural:
A man who was caught allegedly robbing a house while wearing women’s panties has been identified and apprehended, Seoul police said Monday.
The incident occurred some three months ago. The 63-year-old man, identified only as Hwang, was allegedly ransacking a house when the owner walked in. Hwang escaped, but not before getting his pants and panties caught on the window as he was jumping out.
Police took hair and fluid samples in the underwear to identify the man and arrested him last Wednesday.
The man claimed he wore the women’s underwear because of a traditional superstition, Gangseo-gu district police said. [Korea Times]
A South Korean defense company will sign a deal with Poland, today, to sell 120 locally developed self-propelled howitzers, a military source said Tuesday.
“Samsung Techwin Co. will sign a contract with Poland’s defense ministry at 7 p.m. in Korea to export K-9 self-propelled howitzers,” the source said, asking not to be identified. “Under the contract, the company will directly supply 24 howitzers by 2017. The remaining 96 will be produced in Poland.”
The total export value is estimated at about $320 million (347 billion won), according to the source.
Samsung Techwin developed the 155-millimeter howitzer for the nation’s armed forces in 1998 to replace K-55 howitzers. Equipped with state-of-the-art firing and mobility systems, the K-9 has a maximum range of 40 kilometers. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but this arms purchase by Poland is definitely aimed at upgrading the country’s defenses in wake of Russian aggression in the region. Samsung Techwin ought to send a big thank you note to Putin for the increased business to the arms market that the South Koreans have been trying to expand for many years.
