Australian Actor and Music Producer Howard Lee Challenges State Premier in Victoria
Surprises Appearances at Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and North American Summit Host Countries
Australian actor Howard Lee, famous for impersonating North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, is running for the Victoria State Assembly election. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] An Australian actor and music producer famous for impersonating North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is running for the Victorian state lower house election in Australia, facing off against the incumbent state premier.
On the 18th (local time), according to Australian public broadcaster SBS and others, actor Howard Lee, who uses the pseudonym 'HowardX,' recently announced his candidacy for the Victorian Mulgrave electoral district lower house election through his social media (SNS). In a video posted on his YouTube channel, he appears with a slicked-back hairstyle and black horn-rimmed glasses similar to Kim Jong-un, greeting in Korean, "Annyeonghaseyo." He then said, "I am the supreme leader and I am running for the Mulgrave electoral district lower house," adding, "I am running in the Victorian election to oppose the dictator Daniel Andrews." Daniel Andrews has been the Premier of Victoria since 2014. Lee also uploaded a scanned copy of his candidacy application and a receipt showing payment of the election deposit of 350 Australian dollars (about 315,000 KRW) on his website.
Howard Lee introduces himself as a musician, music producer, political satirist, and the world's first professional Kim Jong-un impersonator. Born in Hong Kong, he moved to the UK at age nine and settled in Melbourne, Australia, in the early 1990s. Lee earned a bachelor's degree in jazz music in Canberra and has lived in Hong Kong, Brazil, and Argentina.
His Kim Jong-un impersonation began after Kim Jong-il, the former Chairman of the North Korean National Defense Commission, introduced his son Kim Jong-un to the world stage. Lee dressed like Kim Jong-un on April Fools' Day and shared photos on Facebook. After seeing this, Israeli fast-food chain Burger Ranch hired him as a TV commercial model, marking the start of his full-fledged 'Kim Jong-un imitation.' Since then, he has appeared in commercials, short films, TV shows, and video games, and played the role of Kim Jong-un in the music video "Lollybomb" by the Russian band Little Big, which has garnered 160 million views on YouTube.
He is also known for his provocative actions, such as appearing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opening ceremony and the June 2018 North Korea?United States summit held in Singapore. During an ice hockey game at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he visited the North Korean cheering squad, waved the Korean Peninsula flag, was assaulted by North Korean agents, and was dragged out of the stadium. In February 2019, he visited Hanoi, Vietnam, the venue of the second North Korea?United States summit, with 'fake Trump' Russell White but was expelled from Vietnam a day before Kim Jong-un's arrival.
Running as an independent in this election, Lee told Australia's Channel 6 News in an interview, "Andrews must stop abusing white privilege," adding, "It's time to hand over (the privilege) to an Asian with a giant rocket." He further stated, "Andrews is a dictator, and I am a better dictator." The Victorian state election is scheduled for the 26th.
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