It took less than a week for the Kim Jong Un impersonator at the 2018 Winter Olympics to resurface after he crashed Pyeongchang's Opening Ceremony alongside a Donald Trump lookalike.
As a midweek men's ice hockey game between Japan and North Korea ensued, the latter's cheerleaders were caught off guard when the man behind the Kim Jong Un getup, known only as "Howard," reappeared and started walking the stands, waving his nation's flag.
Surprise visit from the Kim Jong Un lookalike. Cheerleaders weren’t quite sure what to do. Security guards moved him on. pic.twitter.com/L9Vd5BwAsk
— James Pearson (@pearswick) February 14, 2018
This Kim Jong Un impersonator walked in front of the North Korean cheering squad at the Olympics, and boy were they unimpressed https://t.co/ytFEvBGES5 h/t @yoonjung_seo pic.twitter.com/uVsusPRY2r
— Anna Fifield (@annafifield) February 14, 2018
Arena police quickly escorted the fake Kim Jong Un out of sight, as reports noted, but from there commenced a standoff between security and the lookalike.
As The Washington Post's Vincent Bevins shared on Twitter, police ushered him out of the stands before surrounding him outside the stadium gates, then informing him that he had violated a rule against making political statements, all while the faux Kim Jong Un attempted to reason with them:
"I just showed up with my flag and my face," he said. "If you don't like my face, there's nothing you can do about it. I was born this way."
At the united Korea vs Japan womens' hockey game, an apparent Kim Jong-un impersonator starts dancing in front of North Korean cheerleaders. Apparent employees of the DPRK push him aside. He's now sitting nearby giving interviews (in English) pic.twitter.com/PeVJYtri5Y
— Vincent Bevins (@Vinncent) February 14, 2018
Police have now surrounded and asked the apparent impersonator to come with him, he says his name's Howard, was just cheering and looks like this, and didn't commit any crime. Refuses to go with them. South Korea police apparently unsure what to do pic.twitter.com/pGzvV0ufcq
— Vincent Bevins (@Vinncent) February 14, 2018
For some, of course, the backdrop of the real Kim Jong Un at the Games in neighboring South Korea has been no joking matter.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence overtly avoided contact with the sister of the North Korean leader during the Opening Ceremony, and several U.S. representatives cautioned before the Olympics that Team USA might steer clear of Pyeongchang because of President Trump's disputes with Kim Jong Un over missile and nuclear tests.