North Korean leader facemasks for sale in South Korea

How do you feel about the relationship with North Korea?

What do you know about these new face masks?

South Korean shoppers are rushing to buy Kim Jong-un moisturising face masks. They are doing this because of a possible inaugural visit of the North Korean leader to Seoul.

Advertising for the "unification moisturising face masks" shows a picture of someone pretending to be the North Korean leader. In this picture he is laughing while wearing a white sheet over his face. Slogans say masks are "wrinkle-resistant" and "water-resilient" nuclear bomb packs.

The masks cost about four times the price of regular cosmetics. But they are still flying off the shelves. They have had more than 25,000 sales since they started in June.

One woman told The Chosun Ilbo that she did not want to miss the latest trend. "I bought one because I thought it would be a hot topic if I took a picture of the mask pack and put it on social media," said Jeon, an 18-year-old student.

There is much excitement about the new face masks on social media posts. People have happily posed in the masks with friends. And people have given presentations on how to apply them on YouTube. Comments underneath the posts say how "funny" the product is.

People are laughing just at the packaging said an employee of a downtown Seoul mall. The very thin masks combine South Korea's fascinations with beauty products and the South's blossoming political relationship with the North.

The product claims to contain moisturising mineral water from Mount Paektu. This mountain is a special volcano on the border of North Korea and China. It is thought to be the birthplace of the founder of the first Korean kingdom.

The mountain's fame was reminded about in September when Presidents Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in made an unprecedented trip there after a three-day meeting in Pyongyang.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=4, B=8, C=7, D=1, E=2, F=5, G=6, H=3

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1.      The new president of the university gave his inaugural speech to the university by video.

2.      The slogan of Korea University is Global Korea University.

3.      Sales of the new Samsung S9 are flying off the shelves.

4.      A trend these days is for young people to travel the world for one year after graduating.

5.      A hot topic in Korea these days is the children of chaebol families to open bakeries.

6.      Tourists are fascinated with how good the plastic surgery in Gangnam Seoul is.

7.      A blossoming trend is for people to get married later.

8.      This is unprecedented weather. It is the coldest winter forever.

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1.      How do you feel about President Kim Jong Eun’s inaugural visit to South Korea?

2.      Do you feel excited (or other feeling) about the blossoming relationship with North Korea?

3.      Is the visit by the North Korean president a hot topic with your friends? What is a hot topic with your friends these days?

4.      What do you find fascinating about Kim Jong Eun?

5.      What do you think would be a good slogan for Korean tourism/for your company/university? What is a slogan that you like?

6.      What product do you remember that was really flying off the shelves?

7.      What trends do you think we will see in 2019?

8.      Can you think of any other unprecedented and exciting events/things in your life time?