Seo In-young says surgery cannot replicate Jimin’s look, tells Oli London to be “reborn”

Singer Seo In-young, formerly of Jewelry, said cosmetic surgery cannot reproduce another person’s innate individuality, responding to British influencer Oli London’s efforts to resemble BTS member Jimin with a blunt assessment: “You’d have to be reborn.”

The discussion aired on the 15th during the third episode of E Channel’s variety show Seo In-young's Trend Curmudgeon. Seo In-young, Mimiminu and guest Moon Hee-joon were discussing idols when Oli London’s case led to a conversation about managing one’s appearance and cosmetic surgery.

Oli London reportedly underwent more than 30 cosmetic surgeries beginning in 2014 out of a desire to look like Jimin, spending about 300 million to 400 million won on the procedures alone. Despite the time, expense and effort devoted to resembling one person, Seo In-young was unconvinced by the result.

“But he doesn’t look like him,” Seo In-young said, expressing reservations about whether altering individual facial features could recreate another person’s distinctive overall appearance.

Seo In-young also spoke openly about her own experience. “I’ve relied a lot on medical procedures too, but now I’ve gone back to being natural. I’ve had it all taken out,” she said.

Drawing on that experience, Seo In-young said surgery could not recreate the distinctive quality another person possesses. “You’d have to be reborn. You can’t replicate that,” she said. Her point was that changes to parts of the face cannot precisely reproduce someone’s innate presence and personality.

Seo In-young singled out Jimin’s eyes and the impression they create. “There’s that natural look to Jimin’s eyes,” she said.

In Seo In-young’s assessment, Oli London originally had a cute charm of his own, but repeatedly trying to erase those qualities had blurred his identity. “You shouldn’t go overboard,” she said.

Seo In-young has previously disclosed, including on her personal channel, that she underwent nose surgery five times. Her comments came from someone who had experienced repeated changes to her own appearance and drew a distinction between what surgery can alter and the qualities it cannot reproduce.

The discussion also raised the broader point that choosing to improve one’s appearance or move closer to a desired look is a matter of personal freedom. Repeated operations aimed at matching a particular face, however, cannot deliver that person’s exact expressions, presence and individual appeal. Seo In-young’s remarks underscored the difficulty of copying individuality and identity even as techniques for changing appearance advance.

Read the original (Korean)