Saturday, February 05, 2005

North Korea protests depiction of Kim Jong Il in U.S. film 'Team America: World Police'

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - North Korea's embassy in Prague has demanded that the film "Team America: World Police'' be banned in the Czech Republic, saying the movie harms their country's reputation, a report said Saturday.

North Korean diplomats issued their protest to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, saying the film ridicules North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the Lidove Noviny daily said.

The film, by "South Park'' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, uses a cast of puppets _ including one of Kim _ to poke fun at the U.S. war on terror. The team of marionettes fights terrorism, reducing world capitals to rubble along the way, in their quest to keep Kim from destroying the world.

"It harms the image of our country,'' the newspaper quoted a North Korean diplomat as saying. "Such behavior is not part of our country's political culture. Therefore, we want the film to be banned.''

The Czech Foreign Ministy said the film would not be banned in the Czech Republic.

"We told them it's an unrealistic wish,'' ministry spokesman Vit Kolar was quoted as saying. "Obviously, it's absurd to demand that in a democratic country.''

Officials from the Foreign Ministry and the North Korean Embassy could not be reached for comment Saturday.-AP

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North Korea protests depiction of Kim Jong Il in U.S. film 'Team America: World Police'