Influencer Who Identifies As Korean After 18 Surgeries To Look Like BTS Singer Faces Backlash
A white influencer from the UK underwent 18 plastic surgeries to look like an ex-member of K-pop band BTS and now identifies as Korean…
Oli London recently shared clips from a hospital bed to present his new face which he wants to resemble that of singer Park Jimin.
“Hey guys! I’m finally Korean. I’ve transitioned,” he said in a video, and added he was a “transracial” person who now identifies as Jimin.
“I identify as Korean — that’s just my culture, that’s my home country, that’s exactly how I look now,” he said.
“I’m so, so happy I’ve completed my look … I have the eyes [and] I’ve just had a brow lift, as well.”
“I’ve been trapped in the wrong body … But finally I’m Korean — I can be myself. And I’m so, so happy,” the influencer said.
TRANSRACIAL…🏳️⚧️⚧🏳️🌈🇰🇷 #olilondon pic.twitter.com/p0gcoV535D
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) June 28, 2021
“For the first time in my life I feel beautiful,” he said of the 18 surgeries that cost over $150,000, as per the Daily Star.
“I’ve transitioned to a non-binary person — they/ them/ Korean/ Jimin,” the influencer said.
“If you didn’t know who I was, you’d just think I was a Korean person,” he said, asking people to “respect my decision.”
“Nobody would do this for attention — nobody would go through this much pain, this much suffering,” Jimin said regarding his surgeries.
“I hope I can be an inspiration to others,” he said while also admitting that it can be “a little confusing for some people.”
View this post on Instagram
While the influencer got some support on the internet he was also met with lots of criticism.
“This is actually unbelievably degrading to Koreans like me if he asserts that simply getting surgery to make his eyes more slanted makes him Korean,” Kangmin Lee wrote in a Tweet.
I can’t believe he seriously identifies as Korean
This is actually unbelievably degrading to Koreans like me if he asserts that simply getting surgery to make his eyes more slanted makes him Koreanpic.twitter.com/mVYq9PO10x
— Kangmin Lee 🇰🇷✝️🇺🇸 (@thekangminlee) June 28, 2021
“Korean isn’t a pronoun, nor is it a persona you decide to suddenly take on because of kpop hype,” another Korean commentator said. “I can’t commend you for taking a whole ethnicity and treating it like a persona.”
View this post on Instagram
Other people were outraged when they saw the South Korean flag with Pride rainbow colors.
“Playing with a flag from another country? Man. That is serious. Every flag has a history about it and he has the audacity to change it,” one person wrote.
Other people said it was actually a criminal act in South Korea.
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know by joining the conversation in the comments and please share this article if you’ve found it of value.
