Die Another Day became a controversial subject in eastern Asia . The North Korean government disliked the portrayal of their state as brutal and war @-@ hungry . The South Koreans boycotted 145 theatres where it was released on 31 December 2002 , as they were offended by the scene in which an American officer issues orders to the South Korean army in the defence of their homeland , and by a lovemaking scene near a statue of the Buddha . The Jogye Buddhist Order issued a statement that the film was " disrespectful to our religion and does not reflect our values and ethics " . The Washington Post reported growing resentment in the nation towards the United States . An official of the South Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that Die Another Day was " the wrong film at the wrong time . "