Bae Eun-sik is a resident of Incheon, South Korea who has acted as
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in movies, television shows, and
commercials.Bae's career began in 2000 when he won a Kim look-alike
contest in Seoul. "When inter-Korean relations flourished after the
2000 summit, I was swamped with proposals to appear in movies, ads,
television talk shows and media interviews. But when the ties frayed,
I was forgotten and had a hard life," said Bae in The Korea Times.A
fellow Kim impersonator, Kim Young-sik, called himself a "rising star"
in contrast to the "falling star" of Bae. "I am a real celebrity. I've
just heard there is another man who claims he resembles Kim Jong-il
the most, but I don't think so." said Bae, in a reference to Kim
Young-sik. Bae takes his job seriously, adjusting his appearance to
match that of the chairman. "When I recently saw a newspaper picture
of the leader, who apparently has lost a considerable amount of hair
and whose face looked rather pale, I felt sorry for him. If he loses
his weight, I also have to go on a diet."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in movies, television shows, and
commercials.Bae's career began in 2000 when he won a Kim look-alike
contest in Seoul. "When inter-Korean relations flourished after the
2000 summit, I was swamped with proposals to appear in movies, ads,
television talk shows and media interviews. But when the ties frayed,
I was forgotten and had a hard life," said Bae in The Korea Times.A
fellow Kim impersonator, Kim Young-sik, called himself a "rising star"
in contrast to the "falling star" of Bae. "I am a real celebrity. I've
just heard there is another man who claims he resembles Kim Jong-il
the most, but I don't think so." said Bae, in a reference to Kim
Young-sik. Bae takes his job seriously, adjusting his appearance to
match that of the chairman. "When I recently saw a newspaper picture
of the leader, who apparently has lost a considerable amount of hair
and whose face looked rather pale, I felt sorry for him. If he loses
his weight, I also have to go on a diet."
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