Non-binary influencer Oli London said that they “feel Korean” in a June 28 video after getting a whopping 18 surgeries to make themselves look more like Park Jimin from K-Pop group BTS.
“I identify with the Korean community,” they said. “Maybe they will accept me more now because I have ‘the look.’ Maybe people will think I’m actually Korean, which will make me really happy. They can see how much I love their culture. This is the extreme length that I have gone to because I love Korea so much.”
London even mentioned the “Butter” singer.
“I just want to make Jimin proud as well,” the influencer continued. “Jimin is my ultimate idol and I want him to be proud. I’m sure he’ll be proud that I look exactly like him now. I have his eyes. I finally have Jimin’s Korean eyes and they’re so, so beautiful. I’m so, so happy with my new look and I can’t wait to see the final results when all the swelling goes down.”
London also posted a YouTube video on June 26 titled “Being Korean,” in which they described their recent plastic surgeries, which included a facelift, brow lift, temple lift, eye surgery and a teeth procedure. They also said that they are no longer “British,” but “Korean” and identify as “Jimin” as their “Korean name.”
London recalled having identity issues for years, sharing, “I finally had the courage of undergoing my racial transition surgery.”
However, folks on the internet weren’t exactly over-the-moon for London’s “transformation.”
“The fact that they are acting like it’s genuine and that it’s part of a ‘journey’ due to […] ‘identity issues’ really irks me,” a non-binary Korean person said on Twitter. “It’s a mockery of trans people, it’s cultural appropriation.”
“The fact that they took on the name Jimin, most likely without knowing any of the cultural significance behind the name, really makes me ill,” the user continued.
Replies to London’s tweet directly included comments such as: “You are not, nor will you ever be, Korean;” “I’d like to inform [you] Jimin does NOT (not) give a f*ck;” and “Sorry you have to change your body to feel loved and welcome but that doesn’t make you Korean.”
InstagramDuring a 2019 appearance on E!’s Botched, London admitted to spending $250,000 on cosmetic surgery. Doctors Paul Nassif and Terry Dubrow ultimately declined London’s request for a rhinoplasty, citing concern for “extreme” danger.
