What’s hot in South Korea? North Korean-made undies!

2,028 box sets of men’s briefs sell out within an hour before 8 a.m. in the morning

A Sisbro official says, “We actively promote our products as having been made ‘using the South’s quality and the North’s skills,” and it’s working.

South Korean company Sisbro, which manufactures undergarments at the jointly-operated Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC) in the North, began selling sets of briefs and undershirts on television early Friday morning.

Within an hour, the company had sold 2,028 sets, exhausting its entire stock, Yonhap News Agency reported. Each set comprised of eight pairs of boxer-briefs and three undershirts.

“Despite the fact that it was very early in the morning — 6:15 a.m. — many people were interested in the fact that these garments were made at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex,” Yonhap quoted a Sisbro official as saying. ”We actively promoted the products as having been made ‘using the South’s quality and the North’s skills.’”

Sisbro moved into the joint complex in April, joining other South Korean companies at the GIC, which combines North Korean labor with southern capital.

The undergarment company says it differs from many other companies operating at the GIC in that the actively promote their products as having been made in the North.

“We plan to use some of our profits to donate to a non-profit organization in order to help underrepresented people in society,” the official said. “We also plan to sell our products in large shopping centers and are even considering exporting.”

The GIC emerged out of the landmark inter-Korean summit in 2000 between the late President Kim Dae-jung and late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.