Elderly Couple Who Show Off Daily Outfits Online Were Oblivious to Viral Fame — Until Friend from Japan Called (Exclusive)
Aki and Koichi have been married for 38 years
Courtesy Aki Kim
Aki and Koichi pose together.Yuri Kim's parents, Aki and Koichi, have always had a keen eye for fashion.
Their love story began 38 years ago when they met through Koichi's martial arts instructor in Los Angeles. When they welcomed a daughter, they instilled in Yuri the importance of dressing with both simplicity and elegance.
In May 2023, Yuri spotted her mother in an adorable ensemble and couldn't resist capturing the moment on camera.
She posted the video on her TikTok and Instagram accounts with the intention of sharing her mom's effortless charm with friends and family. Much to Yuri's surprise, her mother's fashion sense would captivate a much broader audience, propelling both her parents to viral fame.
Now, a year later, their account @akiandkoichi boasts 245,000 followers on TikTok and 716,000 followers on Instagram, where Yuri shares daily videos of her parents' outfits. Their most popular TikTok video has received over 7.8 million views.
"I'm the one who started it," Yuri tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I choose the music, I edit the videos, I film them and I write the captions."
"They're not familiar with the world of social media," she adds. "I don't think they knew what viral even meant. It wasn't until their friends from Japan were texting them saying, 'You showed up on my Instagram.' "
"That's when they started asking me, 'How big are we on social media?' " Yuri, 34, continues.
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Courtesy Aki Kim
Aki and Koichi pose with their arms around each other.Reflecting on her style, Aki says that she always dresses for herself. She isn't a trend seeker and gravitates towards pieces that resonate with her, many of which she purchases at independent boutiques in Japan.
"So it's very personal in the way I dress," Aki says. "Unique, eclectic and classic."
Koichi, 73, on the other hand, describes his style as "simple." His minimalistic closet is filled with quality pieces, and he focuses on the fabric. Some of his favorite stores are Buck Mason, and he wears a lot of raw denim.
"He gravitates towards very premium quality brands. My mom, on the other hand, is more into one-of-a-kind eccentric boutiques where she finds really good pieces," Yuri says.
"They are two whole people who are partners, and that is something that they taught me growing up, to really develop who I am as my own person."
But while Yuri may be the one behind the camera, she mentions that her parents take full control of what happens on film.
Aki's signature move is showing off her outfit with a twirl. Besides that, her parents will also throw up a "shaka" sign, as a sentiment to the seven years they lived in Hawaii.
"The older you get, you just get a lot of news from friends that friends have passed, have cancer, are ill," Koichi says. "I want the older generation to see our videos and be encouraged that life is beautiful and that there is longevity to it and to encourage everyone, every single generation, that you have to live life to the fullest."
Yuri, who has worked in the social media space for 14 years, says the family has always been close. She loves how her parents' wholesome, authentic content is resonating with all generations.
Recently, Yuri took her parents out to dinner and as they waited to be seated, someone took photos of them.
"[My parents] have conversations with them and they'll take pictures," Yuri says. "My brother and I will just laugh because they're our parents and people are recognizing them. It's been a very weird experience."
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