With the landmark US-North Korea summit moving along “very nicely” according to US President Donald Trump, Singaporeans were surprised to see Kim Jong Un gamely posing for pictures in the heart of Marina Bay yesterday, armed with a durian and a box of chicken rice.
Or rather, ’twas renowned impersonator known as Howard X, the Australian-Chinese man who’s made his likeness to the North Korean leader a proper career. The man had been making rounds near the Marina Bay Sands hotel and the Esplanade yesterday ahead of the summit on June 12, when the actual Kim Jong Un will meet with Trump — the first time a North Korean leader comes face to face with a sitting US president. Which was almost canceled, by the way.
According to Reuters, the impersonator had been in town to wish success for the summit, held to negotiate an end to North Korea’s nuclear programme.
“I think the two leaders will sit down and they’re going to have a great time, because really they have the same personality,” Howard X told Reuters. “They are going to be best friends right after this meeting.”
Based in Hong Kong, the impersonator is said to have a lucrative job in films, commercials, and private functions in character. In February, the man caused quite a ruckus at the Pyeongchang Olympics during an ice hockey game between the joint Korea team and Japan when he smiled and waved to crowds, posing together with North Korean cheerleaders. Until he was tackled by three men (believed to be North Koreans) and frog-marched by police to a room inside the arena.
His frequent collaborator, Dennis Alan, impersonates Trump. Though he was not able to join Howard X this week, they’ve assured that both Trump and Kim impersonators will return here before the summit.
“It’s moving along very nicely”
A White House team will travel to Singapore to prepare for a June 12 summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the White House said Saturday.
Coming after a surprise meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the move was the latest sign that the on-again, off-again Trump-Kim summit may yet go ahead as planned.
On May 24, Trump suddenly announced that the US is pulling out of the planned summit, citing “tremendous anger” and “open hostility” displayed by the hermit kingdom. Within 24 hours, the US president reversed his decision and said that the summit could still go ahead after productive talks were held with North Korean officials.
“It’s moving along very nicely,” Trump told reporters late Saturday when asked for an update. “We’re looking at June 12 in Singapore. That hasn’t changed.”
Trump’s unpredictability sparked a sudden and surprise meeting on Saturday between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in — only the fourth time leaders from the two countries have ever met — as they scrambled to get the talks back on track.
“He… expressed his intention to put an end to the history of war and confrontation through the success of the North-US summit and to cooperate for peace and prosperity,” Moon told reporters in Seoul on Sunday.
With text by AFP
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