Howard X, an activist known for impersonating North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was spotted by SBS reporting crews in the spectator stands during the women's soccer Group F inter-Korean match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held yesterday.

Sporting Kim's signature hairstyle, wearing a traditional People's jacket-style top, and holding a model rocket, Howard X gradually approached the North Korean cheering squad section, prompting police to intervene out of concern for potential clashes.

As he was led away to another location by police, Howard X continued to wave toward the North Korean cheering squad.

According to reports, Howard X told a media outlet, "I wanted to meet the 'North Korean' people living in Japan," adding, "Living in Japan, they attend North Korean schools and are brainwashed by North Korea with all sorts of propaganda and nonsense."

He reportedly stated, "I am trying to break the cycle of brainwashing."

In response to criticism that ridiculing the supreme leader could be insulting to Zainichi Koreans (ethnic Koreans in Japan), he emphasized, "It's not an insult; it's about breaking the mold," adding, "When you look at the leader and laugh, all fear disappears."

Howard X is a Chinese-Australian born in Hong Kong who emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, at the age of 10.

For 13 years, he has been engaged in political satire through impersonating Kim Jong-un to raise awareness about the North Korean regime and Hong Kong's democratization issues.

He has a history of being intercepted while appearing at international events related to North Korea. During the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he appeared at the opening ceremony alongside a Donald Trump lookalike and held a Korean Unification Flag in the stands during a women's ice hockey match featuring the inter-Korean joint team.

In June of the same year, ahead of the first North Korea-US summit in Singapore, he was detained and questioned by authorities at Changi Airport. Prior to the Hanoi North Korea-US summit in February 2019, Vietnamese authorities deported him on the grounds that his visa was invalid.

At the time, Howard X told outlets such as the Associated Press, "Being born with a face that looks like Kim Jong-un is the real crime."

Regarding the reaction of the North Korean cheering squad during the PyeongChang Olympics, Howard X added, "Some had expressions like 'how dare you impersonate him,' others looked shocked, and some even smiled."

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News