INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
South Koreans are buying tens of thousands of Kim Jong Un moisturising face masks ahead of a promised visit to Seoul by the North Korean
dictator.The "unification moisture nuclear masks" - nicknamed nuke masks - feature a picture of the smiling North Korean leader wearing a
"All hail moisture for all women of the North and South!"Since the sheet masks were launched by skincare company 5149 in June, more than
25,000 have reportedly been sold in South Korea, which is known for its love of beauty products.Image:Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in with their
wives at a summit in the Paektu Mountains in SeptemberThe masks claim to contain moisturising mineral water from the Paektu Mountains, a
sacred active volcano on the border of China and North Korea, where Mr Kim and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in posed at the end of a
three-day summit in September.Many South Koreans appear to have eschewed Mr Kim's tyrant image, instead calling him cute and funny on social
media.This is despite it being illegal to speak favourably about the North Korean government in the South since 1948.The law prohibits
"praising, inciting or propagating the activities of an anti-government organisation".The South Korean government has not cracked down on
the masks or any positive comments about Mr Kim, although the two nations have technically been at war since 1953.This year has been a
turning point in their relations, with Mr Kim and Mr Moon meeting three times in 2018 - twice in the joint security area in between the two
countries and once in Pyongyang.At their last meeting in September, Mr Kim said he would go to Seoul "at an early date" after being invited
to visit by the end of 2018.However, since then the North has not mentioned it again and there is much speculation in the South over whether
he will deliver on his promise.As with the North Korean leader's visit to China in March, it is unlikely the public will find out about the
visit until after it happens.
