A white British influencer who says they identify as Korean has hit back after being accused of cultural appropriation.
Oli London, who is non-binary, told their thousands of social media followers that they had undergone 'racial transitional surgery' after being 'very unhappy with who I am deep down for the past eight years'.
London has had several rounds of surgery to try and look more like their idol Park Ji-min, aka Jimin from K-Pop band BTS, and now says they 'identify as Korean'.
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In a post on Twitter, London wrote:
But London's announcement has not gone down well with their followers, who have accused the influencer of being 'disrespectful' and of 'cultural appropriation'.
Replying to the post, one person wrote: "I'm sorry, but you can't just choose to be Korean. It's a nationality and ethnicity - you have to be born Korean!
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"Just because you like the culture, doesn't mean you can take it and become it. There is a way to appreciate a different culture, this is not it."
Another said: "Korean isn't a pronoun, nor is it a persona you decide to suddenly take on because of K-pop hype.
"I'm glad you identify as non-binary and I applaud you for being transparent about that, but I can't commend you for taking a whole ethnicity and treating it like a persona."
A third Twitter user added: "As a Korean, Oli London is not and will never be Korean no matter how they want to be. This is utter nonsense and it's cultural appropriation."
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However, now London has released a statement saying they are now 'living in their truth'.
In a statement to Sky News, London said: "I'm not about negativity or sparking controversy. At the end of the day I'm a human being living in my truth.
"It's an unfortunate reality for so many to have to hide who they truly are."
Posting a clip after undergoing their most recent bout of surgery, London said: "I know a lot of people don't understand me, but I do identify as Korean and I do look Korean now, I do feel Korean...
"That's just my culture. That's my home country. That's exactly how I look now. And I also identify as Jimin, that's my career name."
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London continued: "If you didn't know who I was, you would just think I was a Korean person, not a man or a woman, just a person.
"And, you know, people might think, 'Oh, I'm such a joke.' But you know what, guys? You don't understand. If you're trapped in the wrong body your whole life, you don't understand."
Featured Image Credit: Oli London/YouTube