INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyright5149/InstagramImage caption
Thousands of controversial "nuke masks" have been sold in South Korea
A South Korean fashion and cosmetics firm has stirred controversy with a facial mask featuring Kim Jong-un
The firm says it has sold more than 25,000 "unification moisture nuclear masks" since June.However many South Korean stores have halted
sales amid a public backlash and concerns over the masks' legality.The North Korean leader and his regime have been criticised by the United
Nations for "systematic, widespread" human rights abuses.In South Korea it is illegal to speak favourably of the North Korean government,
though the law is rarely enforced.Both North and South Korea are still technically at war, but leaders from both countries attended talks
this year over denuclearisation.The so-called "nuke masks" were created by 5149, a South Korean fashion and cosmetics
company.Propaganda-style slogans claim they contain mineral water from Mount Paektu
In Korean mythology, the sacred, active volcano is the birthplace of Dangun, founder of the first Korean kingdom more than 4,000 years
ago.Image copyright5149/InstagramImage caption
Designers 5149 have been criticised for their use of North Korean imagery
to promote their product
In an interview with the New York Times, 5149 chief executive Kwak Hyeon-ju said she wanted the
masks to celebrate the "once in a lifetime" Korean summits held earlier this year.Dozens of Koreans have posted pictures of themselves on
social media with the masks, which cost 4,000 won (£2.80).But several stores have pulled them from their shelves following a backlash from
local media."Personally, I don't like merchandise promoting a certain political agenda," Irene Kim, a South Korean skincare expert, told the
"A few years ago, North Korea was the largest threat to our country… Kim Jong-un was seen as a dictator and a tyrant who would stop at
nothing to disrupt world peace, now he's become the face of a popular face mask," she added.Mr Kim has led North Korea since the death of
its former dictator, his father Kim Jong-il, in 2011
The country's communist regime has been criticised by the UN and human rights groups for "systematic, widespread and gross human rights
