A British influencer who identifies as Korean has slammed the ‘woke’ backlash they have received after coming out as ‘transracial’.
Oli London, 31, from London, has spent over £175,000 on 18 surgeries over five years to look like Jimin from Korean boyband BTS – most recently sharing a video from their hospital bed after undergoing eye surgery, a face lift, brow lift and temple lift.
The influencer, who recently came out as non-binary, says they felt ‘trapped in the wrong body’ and hailed themselves ‘one of the biggest ambassadors for Korea and Korean people’.
Oli has received criticism from Korean journalist Sandra Song in Paper magazine, but appearing on This Morning today said that they were being ‘wrongly targeted’, and that they haven’t done ‘anything to offend Korea’.
Oli London, 31, from London, who identifies as Korean has spent over £175,000 on 18 surgeries over five years to look like Jimin from Korean boyband BTS – most recently sharing a video from their hospital bed after undergoing eye surgery, a face lift, brow lift and temple lift (left)
Oli has received criticism from Korean journalist Sandra Song, but appearing on This Morning today said that they were being ‘wrongly targeted’
‘I think there are so many problems these days with woke culture,’ said Oli. ‘It’s fantastic people have opinions, but people are so quick to play the race card. Paper magazine is a very woke magazine, which is fine, but I feel they were harsh with their criticism.’
They went on: ‘People are so quick to judge these days, it’s fine to identify as 100 different genders, it’s fine to identify as an alien if you want to, so why can’t I identify as Korean?
‘I don’t see why people take offence and I understand that she may be from Korean ancestry and I respect that, but I feel she’s targeting me wrongly. I haven’t done anything to offend Korea, I feel like I am one of the biggest ambassadors for Korea and Korean people.’
Oli’s love of Korea started nine years ago while working as an English teacher in the country and they admitted they are ‘obsessed’ with Korean culture and pop band BTS.
Oli has undergone 15 plastic surgeries and spent over £175, 000 in a bid to look like Jimin, of K-Pop group BTS (right)
‘I feel the only way of comparing this is someone who is transgender,’ said Oli. ‘I mean no offence to the transgender community, this is just how I explain it. For the last nine years I have felt I have been trapped.
‘Since I lived in Korea I feel I have identified as Korean, I feel the culture is me, I feel at home there, I don’t feel judged I feel Korean people accept me, I feel I have the look now.
‘It’s been a very difficult journey it’s how I felt inside, I just feel trapped, it was like someone born in the wrong body.’
They added: ‘I wasn’t born in Korea but feel in a past life I was meant to be born in Korea.’
Oli first hit headlines in October 2018 after news broke that they had spent over £75,000 on surgeries to look like K-pop star, Jimin.
Oli first hit headlines in October 2018 after news broke that he’d spent over £75,000 on surgeries to look like K-pop star. The K-Pop enthusiast pictured in Seoul’s streets
They have garnered a significant following on social media, with 380,000 followers on Instagram and 495,000 followers on TikTok, and they have had two top 10 hits on the K-Pop iTunes chart.
Despite their popularity online, Oli admitted that their family has stopped speaking to them as a result of their surgeries, and that they have lost several friends who are offended by him identifying as Korean.
‘It’s been really tough’, said Oli. ‘I haven’t spoken properly with my family since I had my surgery a few weeks ago and It’s been very tough.
‘I have friends who will no longer speak to me because of the surgeries, they think, how dare you identify as Korean, you weren’t born in Korea – but this is my truth. I feel so happy when I think about Korea, K-pop gives me happiness, BTS gives me happiness.
Oli first hit headlines in October 2018 after news broke that they had spent over £75,000 on surgeries to look like K-pop star, Jimin from Korean boyband BTS
Last month, they revealed that they would now be using the pronouns ‘they/them/Korean/Jimin,’ – the latter being a reference to K-pop star Park Jimin
‘I hope over time people understand. My family has been tough, they’re actually not speaking to me right now, I feel very lonely.’
Oli is currently trying to become a Korean citizen, and says they are willing to undergo two years of military service which is compulsory for males in Korea.
‘I have already offered the Korean people, I will give two years of my life to do military service if they give me a citizenship, I will do anything to be Korean’, said Oli.
Despite their surgeries, Oli says they still are not happy with their appearance – admitting that it’s a ‘never ending journey’ of altering their appearance.
‘I never really reach that point of happiness to be honest’, they said. ‘I was so happy when I did my eye surgery and looked in the mirror I was crying for the first time thinking, “Wow this has been such a journey, I finally got the look I wanted”.’
They added: ‘It’s kind of never ending I get temporary happiness, it’s sad in a way but I’m much happier than I used to be, I have so much more confidence.’