The original plot of the film was: In order to recover the debt that the U.S. owes to China, the People's Liberation Army of China invades the U.S. West Coast, and the American military and civilians rise up in resistance. Revised plot: The Korean People's Army launches an invasion of the U.S. West Coast to overthrow their enemy, the U.S., and the American military and civilians rise up in resistance. Controversy arose in April 2010 when various Chinese-American associations, including the Global Chinese Artists Alliance, New York Jiangxi Association, and Asian Youth Talent Association, protested at the United Nations Building, Times Square, and New York City Hall, subsequently establishing a website to promote opposition to racial discrimination and anti-Chinese sentiment. The original footage of the film included scenes of the People's Liberation Army patrolling occupied areas in the U.S. and American youth shouting for the killing of Chinese people! New York State Assemblywoman Margaret Chin, Global Chinese Artists Alliance President Yao Jicheng, Tu Lingling from the New York Jiangxi Association, the Zhejiang General Association, and the World Chinese Medical Association filed a lawsuit against MGM in U.S. federal court, seeking to prohibit the filming and release of the movie. On June 29, 2011, Chinese Ministry of Defense spokesperson Yang Yujun responded to questions regarding the film, stating: 'We believe that this kind of behavior is purely fabrication for sensationalism, it is absurd and ridiculous.' The film's script depicts a fictional narrative of the People's Liberation Army invading the U.S. The film was originally scheduled for release on November 14, 2010, but due to MGM's financial issues, the release date was postponed to November 21, 2012. The distributor claimed that due to concerns about the difficulty of releasing the film in the Chinese market, they temporarily decided to change the plot from the Chinese invasion of the U.S. to a North Korean invasion during post-production, which sparked controversy in the American media. The main changes involved redoing the fictional historical background in the opening as well as digitally modifying several Chinese symbols in the film to North Korean symbols. In fact, due to strict entry reviews for foreign films in the Chinese movie market, the subject matter of this film would face challenges for release in China even after modification. The production's adjustment was largely aimed at avoiding provoking the Chinese government and its film censorship department, which could affect the distribution of its other products in the Chinese market. By changing the invasion from the People's Liberation Army to the Korean People's Army, MGM faced backlash in American media, which viewed this move as appeasement to China. Articles expressing dissatisfaction with Hollywood's efforts to please China emerged in the American media. To eliminate the Chinese military elements from the film, MGM spent $1 million to remove the Chinese national flag, military flags, and other symbols from the film. Due to the original content, it was challenging to find Asian American actors during filming, so most of the Chinese soldiers in the film were portrayed by Korean Americans. After the plot change, the roles they portrayed shifted to North Korean soldiers.
