Manila: A kiss by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on a Filipino woman's lips while on an official visit in South Korea sparked anger and jokes on Monday, as feminists denounced what they called his "perverted way" of taunting his female critics.

Many Filipinos, however, thought it was a harmless kiss intended to be fun.

The 73-year-old Duterte, whose critics have labelled him a misogynist, dismissed the kiss as just a "gimmick" to entertain supporters in Seoul.

Social media was abuzz with photos and videos of Duterte on stage before a crowd of Filipinos on Sunday night, when he asked an unidentified audience member to kiss him in exchange for a book he was handing out.

The woman, who admitted she is married and appeared excited to see Duterte in person, agreed. Duterte then told the cheering crowd of about 3,000: "Don't take it seriously. It's just for fun, a gimmick."

The woman was identified as Bea Kim. Reuters