Kim Jong Un appears on advertisement in New York again

A series of advertisements featuring North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have appeared in the United States.

The North Korean leader started to appear Tuesday on a number of billboards in the subway stations and bus stops in Times Square, through which a large transient population commute. The advertisement of Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, used the images of Kim Jong Un to promote its website. Next to Kim on the ad is the famous American model Kim Kardashian. The advertisement with the two models right next to each other says “The Kims. They are on the same page.” Experts analyze that the advertisement attempts to appeal to the people by saying the website covers both of the two figures whose life is hardly disclosed to the public.

This is the second advertisement in New York City this year that features the North Korean leader. A Russian vodka company used him as its model for a large-scale ad on the wall of a building in south Manhattan.

Kim Seon-min, an overseas advertisement expert, said, “Unlike the images of entertainers like models, those of politicians can be used in advertising without their consent under the First Amendment that guarantees the freedom of expression‍ and there have been many precedents including the advertising campaign of Benetton.” Asked of “what happens if the politician demands to be paid,” she answered, “If (Kim Jong Un) asks for it, a small amount of honorarium should probably be paid,” though she “doesn’t know very well because it is unprecedented.” There has been no report that the North Korean leader asked for some payment for the advertisements.