Lips-to-lips kiss in Seoul talked about in Manila

SEOUL — Was the kiss a “twist” she can’t resist?

The Filipino woman who made light of the controversial kiss that President Rodrigo Duterte planted on her lips onstage during a meeting with members of the Filipino community here said it was just a “twist” meant to “thrill the crowd.”

The woman, who was not initially named, spoke in a video that circulated on Facebook.

But the Philippine News Agency later identified her as Bea Kim.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the reactions to the kiss were “mostly positive or neutral.”

In the video, Kim said there was nothing to the kiss she gave the President.

“There was no malice,” Kim said. —With a report from Jovic Yee