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Seeing Double: Kim Jong Un lookalike turns heads in Hong Kong
By VENUS WU, Reuters
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A combination picture shows Australian Chinese Howard, 34, who does not disclose his last name, posing before (L) and after having a haircut and make-up applied to turn into a North Korean leader Kim Jong-un lookalike at a hair salon in Hong Kong November 27, 2013. A haircut and some make up was all it took for the musician to transform himself into a lookalike of North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim, on Wednesday. When Kim came into power about a year ago, Howard's friends teased him for his resemblance to the world's youngest leader. Then on April Fool's Day, the 34-year-old drummer-turned-music producer chopped his hair off and, realizing he could make something out of it, set up a Facebook page. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
HONG KONG - A haircut and some makeup was all it took for a Hong Kong musician to transform himself into one of the world's most notorious dictators, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
When Kim inherited power from his dead father, friends teased the Australian-Chinese musician about his resemblance to the world's youngest leader.
"We joked back and forth 'Maybe I should get dressed up and do some gigs with it'. After all, I'm a musician, so it's about the performance," said Howard, who declined to give his surname in order to keep his music and impersonation careers separate.
He turned heads and drew giggles this week when he paraded down the streets of a popular shopping district in Hong Kong. During the arranged media shoot, he jokingly waved at wide-eyed passersby and posed with a pornographic magazine for photos.
"Is he the real one or is he just impersonating? I can't tell them apart. He really looks like him," said Hong Kong resident Ada Ho.
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Australian Chinese Howard, 34, who does not disclose his last name, poses as a North Korean leader Kim Jong-un lookalike with a journalist on a street at Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district November 27, 2013. A haircut and some make up was all it took for the musician to transform himself into a lookalike of North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim, on Wednesday. When Kim came into power about a year ago, Howard's friends teased him for his resemblance to the world's youngest leader. Then on April Fool's Day, the 34-year-old drummer-turned-music producer chopped his hair off and, realizing he could make something out of it, set up a Facebook page. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
On April Fools' Day, the drummer-turned-music producer chopped off his hair and, realizing he could make something out of the resemblance, set up a Facebook page.
Within weeks, an Israeli production company contacted him and flew him to Tel Aviv for a hamburger commercial to rival a competitor's ad that featured an impersonator of US President Barack Obama.
The clip, in which the imitation Kim abandons his plan to bomb Israel after enjoying its delicious burgers, got 400,000 online views in a country of 8 million people, Howard said.
Then came more job requests. Howard said he was asked to do an ad for a pistachio company with Dennis Rodman, a retired professional basketball player who calls the reclusive North Korean leader his friend, but the plan fell apart when he could not get his US work visa in time.
Howard, who charges HK$5,000 ($645) for party appearances, said being a Kim doppelganger can be a funny experience but he also hopes to stir up dialogue about North Korea and its human rights issues.
"I don't really have to do anything to create awareness. Just my presence," he said. "It brings the issue up in a light-hearted way. It's important to know about this country ... If they launch a missile, it could start World War Three." — Reuters
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