The former apprentice of “Produces 101 Season 2” Jo Kyu-Min is once again the center of the attention of the public after his appearance in the show of Tvn variety It’s okay to be a Martian He rekindled the long-standing accusations according to which the Bigbang G-Dragon impersonated.
The renewed controversy derives from the statements that Jo had performed under the name Z-dragon in China, presumably accepting gifts from fans and signing autographs using G-Dragon’s appearance.
From the apprentice on the rise to the scandal
Jo Kyu-Min has attracted the attention of the public for the first time as an apprentice on Mnet Produce 101 (season 2) In 2017, where his similarity with G-Dragon became an important point of discussion. However, what initially had aroused curiosity soon turned into the dispute.
News emerged according to which Jo Kyu-Min had built a career in China by placing G-dragon, complete with concerts, meetings with fans and online promotions under the name Z-Dragon.
During the show, Jo Kyu-Min faced the accusations, saying: “While the show was aired, a scandal broke out according to which I played G-dragon. For this reason I was inserted in the black list. Before the program started, the fans had already seen articles on me.”
He also said that the accident led directly to his elimination Produce 101affirming: “I lost votes because of the G-dragon issue and in the end I was eliminated.”
However, professionals and spectators of the time claimed that his departure was more likely due to the low evaluation scores and the insufficient scenic preparation rather than the reaction of the public.
A career marked by similarity
For years, the similarity of Jo Kyu-Min with G-dragon followed him both inside and out of the screen. Despite having expressed frustration for the comparisons, his career has often focused on this similarity.
In an interview from 2024, Jo Kyu-Min observed: “One of the things I hate more feeling is that I look like G-dragon. I have heard so many times that it is no longer a compliment.”
Once he participated in a segment with a hidden camera in Hongdae, where he dressed as G-Dragon to evaluate the public reaction.
“I was shocked to see how many people believed he was him. The road stopped,” He said, describing how overwhelming experience has been overwhelming.
Despite these statements, Jo Kyu-Min has continued to appear in programs that highlighted his similarity with the Bigbang leader, including:
- SBS Hallyu Olympics (2011)
- MBC Star Look-Alike competition (2014)
- Star King of SBS (2015)
- Channel to look like the stars (2016)
- TVN is fine to be a Martian (2025)
According to reports, he also participated in events for fans in China during his “Z-dragon” era.
Reciprocate on his return
After having previously promised to stop imitating G-Dragon, Jo Kyu-Min’s recent television reappearance made many fans angry who accuse him of returning to imitation-based shows, this time under a new alias, “Peter”.
During the transmission, Jo Kyu-min defended himself, saying: “Everything that happened was because of the agency. I had no control. I was unjustly blamed.”
However, his explanation has done very little to quell criticism. Netizen have labeled his comments “Contradictory”, claiming that it continues to take advantage of the image of G-dragon while publicly denies any illicit.
Online reactions remain divided: some spectators sympathize with the affirmation of Jo Kyu-Min to be exploited by management, while others see its repeated actions as a calculated attempt to capitalize on G-dragon’s fame.
- Forget you don’t look like you: why pretends to be G-dragon and accept gifts from fans that not even GD himself accepts?
- He did not limit himself to doing random events, he also made a tour in China like “Z-dragon”.
- From the way he behaves, I am afraid that he can start believing that he is the real G-dragon and end up hurting GDs. After 15 years, this really seems to be a mental illness … it reminds me of the cases of the Beatles. You have to do something.
- I still remember that Guerrilla appointment in Hongdae where he pretended to be GD Lol. The people below greeted everyone thinking that it was actually GD: if this is not a fraud, then what is it?
- This is not even at the level of Na Hoon-a against Noh Hoon-A. The only similarity is that they are both males.
Public debate: inspiration or imitation?
The media commentators noticed that the Jo Kyu-min case exposes a deeper question in Corean pop culture: the labile border between tribute and imitation.
Although similarity can open the doors in a sector led by the image, it can equally easily obscure a reputation when authenticity is questioned.
While the debate continues, the last appearance of Jo Kyu-Min has once again relived a question that followed him for almost a decade: when looking like an idol becomes pretending to be?
Sources: pan
