'Fake Kim Jong-un' Makes Surprise Appearance at Australian Election Rally... Rival Candidate's 'Uninvited Guest Plan'

Howard X, a Hong Kong-Australian impersonator of North Korean State Chairman Kim Jong-un, suddenly appeared at a factory in Melbourne, Australia, on the 13th (local time).
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] An actor impersonating North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un appeared at an Australian general election campaign site, drawing attention.

On the 13th (local time), according to AP News and others, a man dressed in a style mimicking Kim Jong-un's hairstyle, glasses, and people’s uniform suddenly appeared at a factory in Melbourne, Australia.

At the time, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was holding a campaign event with Gladys Liu, a Liberal Party member, ahead of the general election scheduled for the 21st.

Right after Prime Minister Morrison left the venue, this uninvited man appeared. When reporters asked about his identity, he replied, "I am Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. I am also known by the alias Howard X."

Howard X, an Australian of Chinese descent, is an impersonator of Kim Jong-un who previously attracted attention by appearing at the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February 2018 and at the Singapore summit between North Korea and the United States in June 2018. Ahead of the second North Korea-U.S. summit, he visited Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019 but was expelled by Vietnamese police.

On this day, when security personnel from Prime Minister Morrison’s side asked him to leave the site, the man resisted, saying, "Do not speak to me like that." He shouted, "I support Representative Liu, and since Liu supports Xi Jinping, I also support the North Korean regime."

The appearance of the fake Kim Jong-un, which turned the campaign site upside down, was confirmed to have been planned by Drew Pavlou, a Senate candidate competing against Representative Liu.

Candidate Pavlou explained on his Twitter that the campaign was intended to highlight that Liu, a Chinese-Australian born in Hong Kong, defends the Chinese leadership and maintains close relations with them.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.