Bad Hair Ad Upsets North Koreans

North Korean officials visit salon over Kim Jong-un 'bad hair' advert 

North Korean officials paid a visit to a London hair salon to question why it had used their leader Kim Jong-un's picture in a poster offering haircuts.

The poster in M&M Hair Academy in South Ealing featured the words "Bad Hair Day?" below the leader's picture.

Barber Karim Nabbach said embassy officials were shown the door and the salon's manager spoke to the police.

The Met Police said: "We have spoken to all parties involved and no offence has been disclosed."

The salon put up the poster on 9 April and the next day two men claiming to be officials from the North Korean embassy visited the salon and demanded to meet the manager, Mo Nabbach.

Karim Nabbach said: "We put up posters for an offer for men's hair cuts through the month of April. Obviously in the current news there has been this story that North Korean men are only allowed one haircut.

"We didn't realise but the North Korean embassy is a 10-minute walk from the salon. The next day we had North Korean officials pop into the salon asking to speak to the manager.

"He said 'listen this isn't North Korea, this is England, we live in a democracy so I'm afraid you're going to have to get out of my salon'."

The manager later informed the police about the visit by the North Koreans and he was told the embassy had also contacted officers.

"We haven't had any trouble since then, if anything the poster has become a tourist attraction," Karim Nabbach said.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's PM programme, he added: "A lot of our loyal clients found it hilarious and people on the street came in and complimented us on it and it drew in a little bit of business. 

"No-one asked for the 'Un'.

"It was never intended to be a political statement, it's all tongue-in-cheek. We were just using it as a cheeky ad campaign."

Last month it was reported by Radio Free Asia that male university students in North Korea were now required to get the same haircut as their leader.


Vocabulary:

to pay a visit to (a place) -

to be shown the door -

an offence -

 to disclose -

to claim -

to demand -

current
(adj) -

to realise -

to pop into (a place) -

a client -

hilarious (adj) -

to compliment sb -

to draw in business -

tongue-in-cheek -

cheeky (adj) -

an ad -

Read more on the story (and watch the video)
Source: Daily Mail

Comments

Roberto said…
Bad ass Kim Jong-un,ja,ja...
Graham said…
He does look like the baddie in a James Bond film, doesn't he?

Roberto said…
Yes,like a bad movie´s villain... I watched a documentary about North Korea,and it was like a Horror or Science Fiction movie,it was frightening!.
Graham said…
But he is best mates with the basketball player - Dennis Rodman, so he can't be all bad, can he?
Roberto said…
I didn´t know that... Dennis Rodman is another "bad boy".The difference between them I think it´s that Rodman it´s a pain in the ass maybe to his ex-wives,and Kim Jong-Un it´s a pain in the ass to millions of people!.
Con M de Maca said…
I already had heard of this news. It´s between funny and terrible!
Graham said…
Macarena,

Kim Jong-un doesn't seem to have a sense of humour.
Unknown said…
It seems to be a joke!! Both, that Korea leader decreed that all young men should have the same haircut and, also, the piece of news!!

People should be allowed to have their hair as they want, for sure!

I also find comical that Korean police went to a hairdresser in London because of they had made an ad with the Korean Leader. UK is a country with opinion liberty and this things might not happen.
Graham said…
Hi Ana,

I've even read about holidays to North Korea. Maybe you could pay Kim Jong-un a visit when you are over in that part of the world.

I imagine it is no joke living there.


I also find it comical that Korean police went to a hairdresser in London because they had made an ad with the Korean Leader. The UK is a country with freedom of speech and opinion and these things should not happen.



You never know. His hairstyle might catch on here.



Jose Romero said…
I don´t understand why people don´t respect the fredoom of expression. Perhaps it isn´t the most famous case, for example I don´t understand why the islamic people are offended when Mahoma appears in a picture, I know that this religion ban it, but I will never complain the reason.
Graham said…
Hi JosƩ,

I find the North Koreans getting upset about an advert of their leader in the window of a hairdesser's as absurd as the Spanish getting their knickers in a twist about French puppets making fun of their sportsmen.

On the other hand, when someone goes out of their way to offend (as with the caricatures of Muhammad), it stops being funny.


I don´t understand why people don´t respect the freedom of expression. Perhaps it isn´t the most famous case.

For example I don't understand why Islamic people are offended when Muhammad appears in a picture, I know that their religion bans it, but I would never complain about this.