A man who looks shockingly similar to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has been spotted causing a stir at the Rio Olympics.
The professional lookalike has been sharing images of himself at the 2016 games on his Instagram page as well as being snapped by photographers among the crowds at the Macarana stadium.
The Supreme Leader’s doppelganger was even seen jokingly giving the finger while dressed in a comprehensive costume, including Kim’s trademark suit.
Despite North Korean athletes gaining seven medals at this year’s games, many would probably be less than impressed if they thought their Dear Leader was actually watching from the stands.
The secretive state’s government has sent officials to accompany athletes while competing, and one silver medallist even expressed his disdain at gaining second place and publicly apologised to Kim Jong Un directly for failing to secure the top spot.
According to reports, competitors may even face punishments if they return with less medals than have been demanded by their despot.
According to analyst Christopher Green, the head of the hermit nation has instructed his 31 athletes in Rio to return with at least five gold medals.
It’s unclear and unconfirmed if there are any punishments for Olympians on their return to Pyongyang, however in 2012 former competitor Lee Chang-soo defected to the South and claimed he was forced to work in a coal mine after losing to a South Korean athlete at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
So it’s understandable that the appearance of this Kim lookalike in the stands might cause some uneasiness among any North Korean athletes, however it all seems to be fun and games for him.
The cheeky impersonator is actually a Hong Kong-born musician called Howard, a musician of Australian-Chinese heritage.
Going viral for his uncanny resemblance in 2013, Howard said his friends would joke about the similarities and he eventually realised he could make a career out of his resemblance.
“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,” the dead ringer said.
Kim’s body double told indy100 he was planning to see Usain Bolt on Thursday anyway, so decided to have some fun and show up in costume.
Hopefully he won’t be too distracting for North Korean Olympians, but Howard hopes to attend the men’s basketball on Friday to emulate the Dear Leader’s love of the sport.