PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has drawn criticism for kissing an overseas Filipina worker on live television.

The incident took place during a meeting with the Filipino community in Seoul during an official visit to South Korea.

Mr Duterte called the woman on stage and convinced her to kiss him as the audience cheered.

But the act was described as the “disgusting theatrics of a misogynist president” by Philippines rights group Gabriela, the BBC reports.

The President had invited two women on stage to receive a free copy of a book on alleged corruption in the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

He hugged the first woman and gave her a kiss on the cheek before gesturing to the second woman to kiss him on the mouth.

As the woman laughed nervously, the President leaned in to kiss the woman on the lips.

“Are you single? You’re not separated? But can you tell him that this is just a joke?,” Duterte was heard telling the woman before the kiss.

The kiss caused outrage on social media, with horrified observers describing it as “disgusting”, “gross” and “cringeworthy.”

Mr Duterte has sparked outrage before with his inappropriate behavour.

In April 2016, he spoke to an election campaign rally about the 1989 murder and rape of Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill in Davao, where he was mayor at the time.

“I was angry because she was raped,” he said. “That’s one thing. But she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first, what a waste.” His office later apologised for the comments.

Earlier this year, Mr Duterte told Filipino soldiers they should shoot female communist rebels in the vagina.