Duterte kisses lips of mesmerized Filipina in South Korea

June 3, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte made a quick kiss on the lips of an apparently mesmerized Filipino woman in South Korea.

Duterte kicked off on Sunday his three-day official visit to Seoul and on his first day, he met with the Filipino community.

The unidentified woman with a long hair was one of the two Filipinas whom the President called on the stage to receive a copy of a book about corruption in the Catholic Church in the jam-packed Convention Hall, Grand Hilton and Convention Center.

The two women initially held Duterte's hand and blessed to the 73-year old President, prompting him to tell them not to make such gesture.

The first woman just hugged Duterte after receiving a copy of the book.

The second woman was apparently very happy to be in front of the President.

Duterte was seen instructing the woman to kiss his lips, which she heeded.

After a smack, he embraced the woman and ended his long speech, which was aired live over the state-run People's Television and live-fed in social media sites.

Later, Duterte said that his gesture towards the Filipina should not be taken seriously.

"There's nothing in it except that I want to be close to my countrymen," he said.

Before he delivered his speech, Duterte had a duet with guest Filipina singer.

They sang "Ikaw," one of the President's favorite songs.

Duterte had also a cheek-to-cheek kiss with the Filipina singer.

In his speech, he said that he could have a dinner with her.

Duterte's first marriage was annulled, while he has a common-law wife, whom he has a teenage daughter. Celerina Monte/DMS