As the row over “The Interview,” a U.S. film making fun of North Korea, took a dramatic turn with Sony Pictures’ surprise release of the flick on Christmas Day, South Koreans are growing more curious about what the fuss is all about.

Although many South Koreans have been keenly following the controversy, they are blocked from actually viewing it, because Sony decided on a U.S.-only release. Some may be tempted to circumvent this restriction through illegal downloads, as the movie appeared on the local file-sharing sites within a few hours of the U.S. release. Korean subtitles are available as well.

“This movie has been all over the news. Thanks for sharing,” a user commented on a post illegally sharing the movie at one of the file-sharing sites.

Sony Pictures broadly released the comedy film ― depicting a fictional plot to assassinate the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ― online on Wednesday and in select theaters on Thursday throughout the U.S., amid heated debate.

However, the film is only available to watch for those with a U.S. credit card and a U.S. IP address on multiple digital platforms, including Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and Sony’s own website ― www.seetheinterview.com. The film costs $6 for a 2-day streaming and $15 for purchase.

“The Interview,” co-directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, features two American journalists (Rogen and James Franco) who land an interview with the young leader Kim. When the CIA finds out, they are recruited to assassinate Kim.

The film was initially scheduled for a full-fledged release on Christmas Day, but was canceled following a November cyberattack on Sony Pictures. The U.S. authorities claimed later that North Korea was behind the attack. The hackers also threatened a terrorist attack ― referencing the 9/11 attack ― targeting the theatergoers. However, the decision not to show the movie was largely criticized by the public ― including U.S. President Barack Obama ― and was overturned. It opened at some 300 independent theaters across the U.S. this week.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)