Global InformationHoward X information
Howard X | |
|---|---|
 Impersonators of Kim Jong Un (Howard X) and Donald Trump (Dennis Alan) during the 2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit | |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation(s) | Impersonator of Kim Jong-Un Music producer |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Website | https://www.supremeleader.me/ [dead link] |
Howard Lee, known professionally as Howard X, is a Hong Kong-born Australian music producer, political satirist and media personality. He is the world's first professional impersonator of Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea.[1][2][3]
Amongst Howard X's most well-known pranks are his appearance at the Rio Summer Olympics in 2016 and when he visited North Korean cheerleaders on Valentine's Day at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 which attracted media attention. Throughout his career as a professional impersonator he has also worked with multiple organisations and celebrities to create parodies and to stir up conversations of politics and human rights. He believes that humour is a very powerful weapon and he often makes it clear that he imitates the dictator to satirise him, not to glorify him.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
He is well known for using satire to show his support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and for the liberation of North Korea. He also used his prominence to assist persecuted impersonators and drew attention to humanitarian issues around the world with them. His resemblance to Kim Jong Un has seen him detained or deported due to political concerns. He is often interviewed by the press and hired for commercials due to his activism and work as an impersonator. In 2021, it was reported that he was raided and arrested at his home by the Hong Kong government, sparking concerns that he was targeted by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.[10][11][12][13][14]
In early November 2022, he announced that he would contest Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' electorate of Mulgrave as an independent candidate at the Victorian state election under the name 'Howard Lee'.[15] He came second-last out of 14 candidates, attracting 0.3% of the vote.
- ^ "Video: Meet the world's first professional Kim Jong Un impersonator". The Washington Post. Max Fisher. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ "An Interview with the World's Greatest Kim Jong-un Impersonator". Vice Media. Jamie Fullerton. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ "This is Howard. He's the world's foremost impersonator of Kim Jong Un". TheWorld. Emily Lodish. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ^ "'Kim Jong-un impersonator tricks North Korean athletes into believing he is supreme leader at the Rio Olympics". The Independent. Maya Oppenheim. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ "From dear leader to cheerleader: Kim Jong-un impersonator causes stir at Olympics". The Guardian. Reuters. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ "'Kim Jong-un' a sensation at Rio Olympics as Hong Kong-based lookalike flies flag for North Korea". South China Morning Post. James Porteous. 20 August 2016. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ "Winter Olympics: Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump impersonators call for peace before being thrown out". Independent. Mythili Sampathkumar. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Meet Howard X, the Dictator Doppelgänger From Hong Kong". Time. Amy Gunia. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ "Kim Jong Un impersonator says dictator too fat to find body double in North Korea". New York Post. Natalie O'Neill. 7 May 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ Hookway, James (25 February 2019). "Vietnam Is Big Enough for Only One Kim Jong Un". The Wall Street Journal. James Hookway. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Howard X, Hong Kong-born Kim Jong-un impersonator, detained and questioned on arrival in Singapore". South China Morning Post. Agence France-Presse. 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "Hong Kong's Kim Jong-un impersonator says he was arrested over 'possession of firearm,' flat raided". Hong Kong Free Press. Tom Grundy. 20 January 2021.
- ^ "Hong Kong Police Arrest Kim Jong Un Lookalike Who Supported Protests". Radio Free Asia. 21 January 2021.
- ^ "Kim Jong Un impersonator Howard X is using his likeness to help others". ABC News. 5 April 2022.
- ^ "'Kim Jong-un' to run against Dan Andrews in the seat of Mulgrave". 6newsau.com. 6 News Australia. Retrieved 9 November 2022.