MAXIM Korea's cover criticised for glamourising rape
September's issue of Maxim Korea, which features Korean actor Kim Byung Ok, has come under fire for being too sensational.
Kim, 54, is famed for his Korean movies Man In High Heels (2014), Man In Love (2014) and Baby And Me (2008).
On the cover of Maxim, he is seen smoking a cigarette, with his hand resting on the top of an open car trunk.
Hanging out from the trunk is a pair of legs, which are bound at the ankles with green tape.
Allkpop, One Hallyu and Oh!Kpop have reported that the cover (below) has been criticised for glamourising kidnap and rape.
Reacting to the criticism, MAXIM Korea's editor Lee Young Bi released a statement saying that it was not the magazine's intent to highlight sexual assault.
"The cover of MAXIM's September issue features Kim Byung Ok, who is the best at playing the antagonist.
"The editing team had aimed to cast him in the role of the antagonist in a Noir film (the concept for the cover).
"As you will be able to see from the photos from the photoshoot, the theme was about murder and hiding bodies, filmed from Noir perspective."
Noir is a genre of crime film or fiction characterised by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity.
Lee is adamant that MAXIM "did not romanticise sexual assualt as a sexual fantasy".
"We would be thankful if you can see the cover as a shot that was a part of the flow of the photoshoot, like a scene from a movie."
Controversial magazine covers make for good fodder online.
Especially those that feature women in daring photoshoots.
Here are five iconic magazine covers that you may remember.
1. Japan Vogue: Lady Gaga and her raw meat dress (2010)
2. Rolling Stone: Janet Jackson gets some nice coverage (1993)
3. Vanity Fair: Pregnant Demi Moore bares all (1991)
4. GQ: Jennifer Aniston in only a tie (2009)
5. TIME: Attachment parents. Yay or nay? (2012)
Source: Allkpop, One Hallyu, Oh!Kpop
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now