South Korea's ruling party presidential candidate ignited a debate this week after he proposed allowing public health care insurance to cover hair-loss treatment, fanning both cheers from some voters and criticism over his populist agenda.

Lee Jae-myung, the flag bearer of the Democratic Party, made that pledge, saying almost 10 million people suffer from hair loss, but many of them order medicines from overseas or resort to prostate drugs as an alternative due to high treatment costs.

His proposal triggered explosive responses from some people, with a 15-second video clip in which Lee did a spoof of a hair-loss commercial saying he's the best candidate for "your hair," widely circulating and generating parodies in social media.