7 Examples That Prove North Korea Takes Movies Way Too Seriously

By Chris McKittrick /

7. Kim Jong-il Owned Over 20,000 VHS Tapes And DVDs

It is common for a head of state to have a screening room in his or her official residence. Being a huge movie buff, Kim Jong-il was no different. But Kim definitely got more use out of his than most world leaders. The 2013 documentary Aim High In Creation revealed that Kim owned over 20,000 VHS tapes and DVDs that were kept in an air-conditioned vault in the basement of his palace. Most of the movies were American, and Kim said his favourite actors were Sean Connery (he was a big James Bond fan) and Elizabeth Taylor. Despite running a country, Kim apparently found plenty of time to watch movies and claimed that he watched every movie that won the Best Picture Oscar. He must have been proud of it because he told U.S. diplomat Wendy Sherman that during nuclear negotiations rather than talking about making the world a safer place.