South Korean artist under fire for wearing Kim Il Sung image onstage

Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A South Korean artist is being accused of idolizing Kim Il Sung after he appeared onstage with an image of the North Korea founder on his chest.

The artist, who was not identified, was taking part in an event held Sunday by Seongnam city's chapter of the Korean People Artist Federation, Yonhap reported.

South Korea's main opposition conservatives with the Liberty Korea Party in Seongnam said Monday at a press conference the artist had committed "unpardonable atrocities" for wearing an image of the former North Korean leader.

LKP politicians also mentioned Eun Su-mi, the city's mayor.

The conservatives claimed Eun was a former member of a South Korean socialist labor union, and that the mayor was responsible for the incident.

The mayor's office has said the concert organizers received financial support, but that the office was not involved in the details of the concert.

The artist federation is fighting the accusations of Kim Il Sung idolization.

In a statement issued Monday, the group said the Kim image is being taken out of context, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported.

The artist wore the image on his chest during a poetry reading in which he "played" the role of Oh Young-jae, a North Korean poet.

In the poem, Oh longs for his mother in the South; the family were separated for 40 years. The artist who played Oh's mother onstage did not wear a Kim image or badge, according to the Chosun.

The group also said the Kim image was not embroidery -- as reported by some local news services -- but a paper printout.