Meet man, impersonator of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un, who earns a living by..., recognised as the world's...

North Korea’s supreme leader and dictator Kim Jong Un might be infamous for his brutal leadership and human rights abuses, but one man is gaining all the popularity and world attention on his behest. He is Howard Lee, more popular as Howard X. He is a professional Kim Jong Un impersonator who belongs to Hong Kong. Since 2011, Howard X has been impersonating North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. He was even recognized as the world's inaugural Kim Jong Un impersonator.  

Who is Howard X? 

Howard’s popularity grew even bigger when he appeared on Adin Ross's stream on Kick during which more than 450K live viewers stayed glued to their screen as the host announced that he would be interviewing the North Korean leader but turned out it would be his impersonator. He does not roam around boasting about his similarity with Kim Jong Un. He has turned this coincidence into work around social issues.  

When Kim Jong Un first entered North Korean politics in 2011 as its supreme leader, taking over from his father, Howard was stunned to notice that ‘he looks a lot like me’. ‘Other people started saying the same thing, and I thought I should do something with this,’ Howard explained. Howard is now in his mid-40s and uses his interest in global politics, specifically in dictatorships worldwide including North Korea, to spread political awareness through political satires and comedies for many years. 

Also, a music producer, Howard soon realised that becoming a Kim Jong Un impersonator was an ideal job as he could participate in various events and use his skills of comedy and satire to attack brutal regimes all over the world as he would be taken seriously now. Howard is quite active on social media and boasts almost 10,000 followers on Instagram.  

Howards’ outings as Kim Jong Un 

He has participated in various events including the 2016 Rio Olympics in 2016, where he waved the rainbow flag satirically as a mocking gesture in reference to the North Korean regime's stance against the LGBTQ community.  

Another important event was a protest in Central Hong Kong, where protestors chanted pro-democracy slogans and sang songs related to the anti-extradition movement. In this event, Howard held an inflatable missile, as a satire to the North Korean regime. Howard X uses satire and humor to highlight humanitarian injustices globally, particularly in North Korea.