BTS are currently the biggest K-pop group in the world, and the influence of its seven members has extended far beyond music, making them global cultural icons. While their identities are naturally well known to the public because of their celebrity status, their family members—despite not being part of the entertainment industry—have also inevitably become subjects of public attention and curiosity.
As long as that curiosity remains respectful and is limited to expressing admiration and support for the idols' families, there is little cause for concern. However, many malicious individuals have exploited this curiosity by impersonating not only the artists themselves but also their relatives for various purposes. Worse still, these impersonation schemes have become increasingly bold and sophisticated.
Recently, one such incident sparked outrage throughout the ARMY fandom after a Threads user brazenly claimed to be Jungkook's mother. The individual even used AI-generated images and posted fabricated statements in an apparent attempt to deceive fans!
Specifically, the Threads account, under the username jongchoiyeon, used a profile picture featuring a photo manipulation of Jungkook alongside a woman, making it appear as though it belonged to a genuine family member. Even more ѕнσ¢кingly, the account shared the following message: "Thank you for being fans of my son, Jungkook. I am Jungkook's mother and manager, Choi Jong Yeon. I am here to inform you on my son's behalf. There are many scammers pretending to be Jungkook and taking money from fans. Jungkook has never demanded money from anyone, including for membership cards. Please do not fall for these scams. Jungkook's official accounts have a blue check next to them."
What left many people even more stunned was the ending of the post, where the user encouraged fans to leave comments, send direct messages, and even claimed that anyone wishing to speak with Jungkook should contact them directly. "If you are a true fan, please leave a comment below or a message of support through DMs. If you would like to chat with Jungkook, please message me. Please don't fall for these low-life scams," the user wrote.
A closer look at the account revealed that its feed was filled with AI-generated images depicting Jungkook alongside numerous women of different ages and appearances. One image even portrayed the BTS star sharing a family meal with a man and a woman, making it appear as though they were his real parents.
Although most fans immediately recognized the images as fake, surprisingly, a number of people were genuinely deceived. Some users even left comments thanking the woman for giving birth to Jungkook, indicating that they truly believed she was the singer's biological mother.
In reality, this is far from the first time that members of BTS' families have been impersonated on social media. Across various platforms, countless accounts have used similar usernames, stolen real photos, or even AI-generated images to pose as the parents or siblings of K-pop stars.
Jimin's family previously faced a similar situation after it escalated to a serious level. His father discovered multiple Instagram accounts that had gained large followings by falsely claiming to be the official Instagram account of Jimin's younger brother, Park Jihyun. Not only did these impersonators steal his identity, but they also used photos of other people to convince followers that the account genuinely belonged to him. They even spread false information, including rumors that Jihyun had a girlfriend or worked at a particular company.
Following the latest incident involving Jungkook, ARMY has become even more outraged by the actions of these malicious individuals. Many fans pointed out that this behavior goes far beyond being merely unethical and could potentially involve serious legal issues. As a result, fans have reported the account to Threads and submitted information to HYBE, urging the company to take action. They also warned fellow fans not to engage with such accounts and emphasized that Jungkook's parents—as well as the vast majority of BTS members' family members—do not use social media.
Fans are continuing to discuss the incident, with many sharing their outrage online: "How can someone claim to be her mother?", “Jungkook should be able to file a lawsuit for soмєтнing like this", “This is crazy…they should not touch his family", “It’s so funny because it’s so blatantly AI", “There are always so many AI-generated things regarding Jungkook", “I almost fell for a couple of these", “I’ve seen so many things like this on Instagram reels..it’s gotten out of hand", "Just report to HYBE, don't engage guys",...
