Hot-headed North Korean protests over disrespectful portrayals of their leaders are hardly a new phenomenon. In a world where even an online meme could be taken as a slight against its “supreme dignity”, even Pyongyang’s only formal ally, China, has been subject to censorship demands. So, to understand why The Interview has triggered such a strong and sustained rhetorical response from the North Koreans — who called it an “act of war” — it pays to look back at a history strewn with assassination attempts.
朝鲜急躁地对冒犯他们领袖的影片发出抗议算不上什么新鲜事。在一个网络搞笑图片也可能被视为冒犯“最高领导人尊严”的世界里,即便是来自朝鲜的唯一正式盟友——manbetx3.0 的影片也需接受审查。因此,要明白影片《刺杀金正恩》(The Interview)为何让朝鲜人在言辞上做出如此激烈而持久的反应——朝鲜人将该影片称为“战争行为”——就得回过头来看一看历史上金氏家族遭到的多次暗杀。