Shocking truth about Asian plastic babes
Published April 18 2012
It was in the mid-2000s when South Korean plastic surgeon Joo Kwon noticed a trickle of Chinese women walking into his clinic, even though he hadn't advertised overseas.
"They somehow found a way to the clinic... and nearly all of them said they want the face of Lee Young-Ae," Joo said, referring to a top South Korean actress who starred in the pan-Asian hit drama Jewel in the Palace.
The trickle has now turned into a flood of Chinese packing Joo's JK Plastic Surgery Centre - one of the country's largest - and many other clinics, lured by the looks of South Korean entertainers who have taken Asia by storm.
A Hallyu (Korean wave) of pop culture over the past decade has won a devoted fan base in China, Southeast Asia and Japan.
The South's TV dramas dominate prime-time airwaves and K-pop bands sell out concerts and top the charts.
Now skilled plastic surgeons in the looks-obsessed South - who often helped beautify Korean stars in the first place - are enjoying an unexpected boom as they do the same for their foreign fans.
According to government data, overall medical spending by foreign visitors hit a record $116 million last year. Fourteen per cent sought plastic surgery or skin treatments such as botox.
Almost a half of all foreigners seeking a nose job, a facelift, a jawbone reduction or a tummy tuck were from China. Their number nearly tripled from 1,657 in 2009 to 4,400 in 2010.
"The Hallyu boom has definitely played a key role in drawing new patients from abroad," said Hong Jeong-Geun, spokesman for the Korea Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.
Hong said many star-struck foreigners visit clinics with photos of celebrities like Kim Hee-Sun, a popular actress in Asia, and ask surgeons to emulate her nose angle or eyes.
