Dictator Impersonators and their risks

'Kim Jong Il' faces an uncertain future

Excerpt:

"People now point at me in the street and accuse me of throwing bombs at Yeonpyeong Island," he told me. "I try and tell them I am sorry before they can say anything. I apologize for Kim Jong Il's provocative behavior."

Kim is the same height as the Dear Leader, has the same pot belly and unkempt hair, and he has perfectly mastered the gestures - the clapping, waving and that slightly awkward walk.

He's been hired for wedding and birthday parties, and for roles in advertisements and movies. During the years of the South Korea’s "Sunshine Policy," a period of cozying-up to the North, he would be applauded in the street, and people would line up for his autograph and to have their photographs taken with him.

But Pyongyang's recent aggression has changed all that, and Kim’s invitations are drying up. It’s no longer cool to have Kim Jing-Il singing at your wedding. "People tell me to stop making them nervous. I just keep saying, ‘I'm sorry,’” he said.

Although, he still can't resist a bit of public performance, waving at passersby while we were talking to him. One elderly man glared back: "That's Kim Jong Il, that's Kim Jong Il. He's that dictator from the north," he muttered.

Comments: Then there's Jerry Haleva / Saddam Hussein (CNN interview). And ... Cats that look like Hitler!