S. Korea grapples with plastic surgery obsession
Source: Agencies |
February 18, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PUT together the world's most wired country, a fascination with the lives of the young, rich and famous and a penchant for plastic surgery, and what do you have? A problem, some South Koreans say.
This affluent Asian country of 50 million has the second largest number of plastic surgery operations in the world relative to the size of its population after Hungary, according to data, and the Internet is fanning the flame.
With Korean pop sensations such as Goo Hara from hit girl group KARA admitting they have gone under the knife, there's no shame in ordinary mortals following suit, despite old Confucian teachings that altering the body disrespects one's parents.
Thousands of websites with hundreds of thousands of followers have sprung up recently, allowing devotees of cosmetic surgery to share tips on how to obtain the perfect body, discuss the most effective surgeries and post photos with queries about what they should have changed.
"I am now able to attract a boyfriend after undergoing a facial liposuction surgery," said an unnamed woman picked recently as "Plastic Surgery Queen of the Week" on the Yeowooya website, which has 550,000 followers. Her post attracted 500 comments from others seeking to emulate her - and to find her surgeon.
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, 770,913 plastic surgery procedures were carried out in 2010, putting South Korea seventh on a global list in terms of the total number of operations performed.
Still, concern has grown since 2008 when photos of a woman with a face ruined by a series of plastic surgeries appeared online, shocking the nation. The state-run Korea Consumer Agency said the number of reported cases of side effects had surged to 4,043 in 2011, up from 1,698 in 2008.
This affluent Asian country of 50 million has the second largest number of plastic surgery operations in the world relative to the size of its population after Hungary, according to data, and the Internet is fanning the flame.
With Korean pop sensations such as Goo Hara from hit girl group KARA admitting they have gone under the knife, there's no shame in ordinary mortals following suit, despite old Confucian teachings that altering the body disrespects one's parents.
Thousands of websites with hundreds of thousands of followers have sprung up recently, allowing devotees of cosmetic surgery to share tips on how to obtain the perfect body, discuss the most effective surgeries and post photos with queries about what they should have changed.
"I am now able to attract a boyfriend after undergoing a facial liposuction surgery," said an unnamed woman picked recently as "Plastic Surgery Queen of the Week" on the Yeowooya website, which has 550,000 followers. Her post attracted 500 comments from others seeking to emulate her - and to find her surgeon.
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, 770,913 plastic surgery procedures were carried out in 2010, putting South Korea seventh on a global list in terms of the total number of operations performed.
Still, concern has grown since 2008 when photos of a woman with a face ruined by a series of plastic surgeries appeared online, shocking the nation. The state-run Korea Consumer Agency said the number of reported cases of side effects had surged to 4,043 in 2011, up from 1,698 in 2008.
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