Parody ad about NK leader pops in NY

A vodka advertisement featuring the likeness of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is shown in New York. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

An advertisement for vodka parodying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared on the side of a building in New York City.

The commercial for WODKA, a Polish vodka brand is attached to a building in Lafayette St., Manhattan. It portrays a figure clad in a Mao suit patting a white cat at the center of a target with bottles of vodka flying toward him.

The tagline “American quality, North Korean pricing” above him translates into high-quality yet low-cost alcohol.

The ad does not use an image of the real North Korean leader, but it wouldn’t necessarily pose a problem if it did. According to the Constitution, parody and advertisements featuring public figures in and outside of the United States are seen as freedom of expression such as a Benetton ad that showed U.S. President Barack kissing former Chinese President Hu Jintao.

It is not the first time that the North Korean leader has been featured in an advertisement. Ashley Madison, an online dating service and social networking service, used his image in its billboard at Los Angeles International Airport in July last year.