Man Dressed as Kim Jong Un Beats Up Winnie the Pooh in Front of North Korean Delegation

A man is facing criticism for dressing up as the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and violently hitting a teddy bear in front of the North Korean delegation at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Recently, a video was posted on an Instagram account showing a man mocking the North Korean delegation at the Paris Olympics.

The video quickly spread to various online communities in South Korea, sparking widespread outrage.

In the video, the man, dressed as Kim Jong Un, holds a Winnie the Pooh teddy bear in one hand and repeatedly strikes it with the other. The teddy bear is believed to symbolize Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is often mockingly referred to as Winnie the Pooh.

While hitting the teddy bear, the man continuously looks at someone—his gaze directed at the North Korean delegation.

The North Korean athletes could not respond with insults or complaints to the man’s antics right in front of them. They simply looked away, pretending not to see him.

This man had made headlines during the Olympics for strolling around Paris in his Kim Jong Un costume. He was even seen watching games and taking selfies with another man dressed as former U.S. President Donald Trump, which he posted on his Instagram account.

His personal Instagram account features videos and photos of him dressed as Kim Jong Un while exploring various locations.

However, on Saturday, he announced on Instagram that he had been expelled from the stadium by French police. He stated, “Even though I didn’t break any laws, after filming this video, I was detained by French police. During the detention, the police searched me, the Trump, and my filming crew and checked our passports. They then expelled us from the stadium during a match between France and Spain. While some people found us amusing, one security guard didn’t. We couldn’t watch the rest of the match.”

While foreigners, who generally don’t pay much attention to North Korea’s situation, found the video amusing and entertaining, South Korean netizens were quick to criticize the behavior as dangerous and disrespectful.