BTS Jimin Impersonators Go Viral On TikTok; Lookalikes Alarm Army

Impersonators of BTS member Park Jimin have been going viral on social media recently, and fans of the band have expressed concern over some of their problematic behavior.

Non-celebrities making a living by impersonating stars or going viral due to their resemblance to a certain famous personality is nothing new, but according to Koreaboo, some BTS fans, also known as A.R.M.Y., are worried that some of these lookalikes may be taking it a step too far.

Reddit user u/grahamchracker pointed out in a recent post that there has been an “unsettling” rise in Jimin impersonators on TikTok recently, as shown in this compilation video.

According to the user, one TikToker allegedly held his own “meet and greet” with fans while pretending to be the South Korean pop star.

Another lookalike allegedly went so far as to recreate Jimin’s Instagram posts to the point where it was “a little creepy,” the Reddit user said.

The Redditor added that while most lookalikes are harmless and just having fun with their resemblance to the singer, some of them “really do seem like they have an identity crisis.”

The post pointed to a similar situation involving Ariana Grande, 29, where one person changed their style and voice to become more like her and it started a trend on social media, particularly on TikTok.

Other social media users and BTS fans slammed the trend and the behavior of some of the Jimin lookalikes.

“I haven’t seen these people, but even in my country, there are a number of TikTokers who style themselves like Jimin. It’s fluttering I guess, but holding a meet and greet?? What on earth…,” one person wrote.

“I guess with Jimin being Korea's 'It' boy it's not surprising he's the target of this, but it's nonetheless immensely cringey. I've wondered before what he thought of it when it came to that one individual, who has thankfully moved on now,” another commented.

This wasn’t the first time that an impersonator of the BTS member sparked controversy on social media. British influencer Oli London was slammed for undergoing 18 surgeries over eight years to look like Jimin and claiming that they identify as Korean, E! News reported.

London took to Twitter in June 2021 to express their love for South Korean culture, saying they hope that people would accept them now that they had “the look.”

"I identify with the Korean community," the 32-year-old YouTuber said in a video that showed them still healing from the procedures. "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 continued, “I just want to make Jimin proud as well. 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 shared in a YouTube video that they had 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."

The influencer's revelations were met with criticism online, with one user commenting, "You do not need surgery to love one's culture. You need therapy. You are not Korean."

"Race is dependent on a few factors, such as physical characteristics, genes, DNA and chromosomes. Surgically changing your body to have 'fox eyes' is called 'Asian fishing' and is widely accepted to be racist. Maybe you should 'realize' that your 'real eyes' don't make you Korean," another wrote.