Die Another Day ( 2002 ) is the twentieth spy film in the James Bond series , and the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond . The film follows Bond as he leads a mission to North Korea , during which he is betrayed and , after seemingly killing a rogue North Korean colonel , is captured and imprisoned . Fourteen months later , Bond is released as part of a prisoner exchange . Surmising that someone within the British government betrayed him , he attempts to earn redemption by tracking down his betrayer and killing a North Korean agent he believes was involved in his torture .