Kim Jong Un impersonator deported from Vietnam ahead of summit
HANOI A Kim Jong Un impersonator was hauled from his hotel yesterday ahead of his planned deportation from Vietnam before the real North Korean leader meets US President Donald Trump in Hanoi later this week.
Howard X arrived in town with Trump impersonator Russell White last week, staging a fake summit on the steps of Hanoi's Opera House amid a swarm of press and hired security guards.
The real Mr Trump and Mr Kim will meet for a summit in Hanoi tomorrow and on Thursday.
The Kim lookalike was questioned by Hanoi police last Friday and informed that he would be put on a plane back to Hong Kong where he lives.
The impersonator was told by Vietnamese immigration officials that his visa was "invalid".
"The real reason is I was born with a face looking like Kim Jong Un, that is the real crime," he told reporters while getting into a van headed to the airport with three Vietnamese men, not in uniform and who did not identify themselves.
White will be permitted to stay in the city but has been asked to stop appearing in costume in public.
The Trump doppelganger has been stopped on his Hanoi walkabouts by locals and tourists eager to snap a selfie with "The Donald".
NO SENSE OF HUMOUR
Howard X said he thought he was being deported because the real Mr Kim "has no sense of humour".
His plane ticket back to Hong Kong would also be cheaper for the Vietnamese authorities than a flight for White back to his native Canada, he added.
"Satire is a powerful weapon against any dictatorship. They are scared of a couple of guys that look like the real thing," said Howard X, wearing a signature Mao-style black suit and thick black glasses.
White said he would remain in Hanoi for the week. - AFP
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