Kim Jong-un ‘nuclear’ face mask creates controversy in South Korea

However, with growing popularity, the cosmetics brand behind the mask, 5149, has come under fire.

During inter-Korean summit talks held earlier this year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed documents at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse in Pyongyang, North Korea, agreeing on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, reducing a military standoff and other reconciliation issues.

“It is an insult to suffering North Koreans to beautify a dictator who represses and tortures,” one North Korean refugee told South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, ABC News added.

However, defending the company’s stance, in an interview with the New York Times, 5149’s chief executive Kwak Hyeon-ju said the masks were her way of celebrating this year’s inter-Korean summits.

“I don’t know what Kim Jong-un means in North Korea or what he represents politically, but the whole country of South Korea was happy,” she said, referring to the moment when the North Korean leader stepped across the heavily armed border hand-in-hand with Moon.

However, now after criticism from all over, one of a leading chain store, Pierrot Shopping, has decided to remove the product from shelves.