A group of political activists in South Korea reportedly planned to purchase 100,000 copies of the film with Korean subtitles and drop DVDs and USB sticks containing it over North Korea using balloons. There are tight restrictions on foreign movies in North Korea, but a black market exists, and many citizens have private access to DVD players and other devices.
The tagline above the movie title translates as "Please do not believe these ignorant dishonorable Americans!"
The film accurately portrays Jong-Un Kim as having proficiency in English, as he took several years of English classes while attending school in Switzerland as a teenager. Though he does not speak English fluently as portrayed in the film, Dennis Rodman stated Kim speaks enough English to have a conversation.
Randall Park was the first to audition for the role of Jong-Un Kim, and got the part immediately. Park gained fifteen pounds and had his hair cut like Jong-Un Kim in preparation for the role.
Seth Meyers: appearance was shot during post-production, since his talk show debuted a few months after this movie's principal photography.
Rob Lowe, Eminem: both appear in this film, as guests on Skylark's show. Ben Schwartz, who plays Eminem's publicist, also worked with Lowe in Parks and Recreation (2009).