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Kim Jong-un's Clone: 'It Takes Me Three Hours to Get in Character'

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The Kim Jong-un doppelganger's dancing escapade during the unified Koreas-Japan hockey game didn't go unnoticed – both by press and guests to the Olympics. Sputnik contacted Howard X, who looks strikingly like North Korea’s leader and has seemingly got used to living at least two lives - his own and his alter ego's.

Sputnik: What is it like to wear Kim’s face regularly?

'Kim Jong-un': I have been impersonating Kim since 2013 so it’s not a new thing for me and I usually put a cap on when I go out. I’m not that recognizable when I don’t have a cap on.

READ MORE: Married to Kim: What We Might Know About North Korea's First Lady

But when I’m not doing Kim for a while, I have a different hairstyle altogether and don’t look like him when it happens, because I usually wear a lot of makeup and things like that to make me closer to the world guy.

Sputnik: Was there some special training to be closer to Kim's personality?

'Kim Jong-un': There was no special training to be Kim but I have always been interested in North Korea and their politics since I was a teenager so I have been studying what the leader is like for a long time. When he came on the scene I just copied what I saw and I did as much research as possible and studied plenty of the material out there. It takes me three hours to get in character.

A man impersonating US President Donald Trump (R) and another impersonating Kim Jong-un pose in the stands during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium - Sputnik International
Dancing 'Kim Jong-un' Scares Korean Cheerleaders at Olympics (VIDEOS)

Sputnik: Do people often see the resemblance between you and Kim when you’re not in his "image"? 

'Kim Jong-un': No, when I wear a cap, people don’t recognize me and I try not to look like Kim when I go out.

Sputnik: Have you ever received threats because of your role?

'Kim Jong-un': Well I didn’t have death threats until recently, like a couple of days ago, after I pulled this off with Trump. That’s on the Internet, there was something like "Hey, I want to kill you", that kind of stuff, but well, this is on the Internet. 

Sputnik: Was it a pleasant experience to shoot a clip with LittleBig [Russian rave band]? 

'Kim Jong-un': My experience with LittleBig was good. It took 3 days to do, was really hard work but it was very professional. The video came out great so I was really happy. They flew me over, put me in a nice hotel and really looked after me.

Sputnik: In your opinion, are Koreas’ reconciliation and warmer relations a temporary thing?

'Kim Jong-un': I heard that the reconciliation with North and South Korea is a long-lasting one. But you know, if you look back at the history, the North has always come back and they would, unfortunately break apart from the South, at some point.

So I think this is the point at the Games: they are playing because they are being hit with sanctions.

READ MORE: China Expands Sanctions Against North Korea, Bans Exports of Dual-Use Products

What’s most likely going to happen though is that the North and the South will have warm relations for a couple of years but North Korea is probably going to make threats against Japan, their old enemy. So that’s what is probably going to happen anyway. 

Sputnik: Were you impressed by the North Korean cheerleaders’ performance during the hockey match? Did you talk to any of them?

'Kim Jong-un': The cheerleaders are actually very good. As for their performance, they are so rehearsed, I was very impressed. This performance stands out.

However, they are propagandist tool of the regime so that’s why I was there having some fun. I wasn’t able to communicate with any of them, unfortunately.

READ MORE: Volleyball on Snow Presented at Olympics (VIDEO)

It would have been good if I could actually take a few of them and hug them, they are very beautiful. Because of the security guards, I had very limited time to interact with them. Some of them were giggling, some of them not, it was good to see.

The views and opinions expressed by Howard X are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect Sputnik's position.
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