I Pretend to Be Kim Jong Un for a Living

The Unlikely Impersonator of North Korea’s Leader

When Kim Jong Un first took the reins of North Korea in 2011, Howard X, a music producer from Hong Kong, saw something familiar. “He looks a lot like me,” he said. That simple observation sparked an unexpected career as an impersonator of the North Korean leader.

Initially, Howard had no intention of becoming an impressionist. But after donning a suit he already owned and taking some photos, he uploaded them to Facebook. Within two weeks, he landed his first professional gig as a Kim Jong Un impersonator and was flown out to Tel Aviv for a performance.

Howard, now in his mid-40s, had always been fascinated by global politics, especially the dynamics of dictatorships like North Korea. Combining this interest with his love for satire and comedy, he found his calling. He explained that while the demand for his work fluctuates depending on current events, he sees himself continuing this activism for years to come.

“Whenever Kim launches a missile, my phone is ringing off the hook,” he said. “But I don’t wait around for him to do something. I’ve noticed that the best way for me to get work is to do my own projects.”

His political views are clear. During a protest outside the NATO summit in The Hague earlier this year, he posed with an inflatable nuke featuring the message: “Europe, my troops are already in Ukraine. Where are yours?” This kind of bold statement has made him both popular and controversial.

A Career Marked by Controversy

Howard has faced legal trouble in the past. After participating in the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong in 2014 while impersonating Kim Jong Un, his house was raided, and he was arrested. Although the charges were eventually dropped, he felt it was safer to leave Hong Kong.

From Donald Trump’s inauguration to Olympic opening ceremonies, Howard has traveled the world to make his voice heard. However, not all his efforts have gone smoothly. He has been deported from Vietnam and detained in Singapore for his protests. He also claims to have been followed and assaulted by North Korean agents.

Thankfully, Howard holds Australian citizenship, which has allowed him to set up a base in Australia. His most successful bookings came after he documented being kicked out of Vietnam. “I knew my notoriety in the press would give me some protection,” he said. “Even when the cops came in Hong Kong, they said, ‘we’re big fans, but our boss told us that we had to come.’”

Leaving behind a life in Hong Kong, Howard misses things like proper dim sum, but he believes in using his privilege as an Australian citizen to speak out. “We have two dictators now basically controlling the world—Trump on one side and Xi Jinping on the other—and everybody else is caught in the middle.”

He added that many people who aren’t Trump supporters feel frustrated seeing him on TV. “That’s why I decided to satirise it, because the only way you can deal with that psychologically is to point out how ridiculous it is and make a joke out of it.”

The Power of Satire

Howard cites influences like Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator and the political satire show Spitting Image. He also admires Frank Sanazi, a comedian who impersonates Adolf Hitler singing Frank Sinatra songs.

But how effective is satire in bringing about change? Howard argues it’s crucial. “If I was just one protester with a sign, I would be ignored. So I decided to use this impersonation to draw eyeballs to the cause of democracy, and it’s very effective.”

He believes dictators fear being made fun of. “A lot of protesters will be very angry, and a lot of people will get turned off by that aggressive way of protesting. If you’re making a joke out of it, it’s a gut reaction so people cannot look away.”

Howard has even managed to make supporters of China laugh, which he sees as a valuable tool. “As a protester and political activist, you not only want to get your side to be united but you want to change the minds of the supporters of the dictatorship.”