Chinese dreams of beauty become nightmares in South Korea
Chuang Shu-chung and Staff Reporter
2015-06-01
Visitors get information about plastic surgery from a South Korean company at an international travel expo in Kunming, Yunnan province, Oct. 24, 2013. (File photo/CNS)
A wave of plastic surgery disputes is tarnishing the image of South Korea as a destination for cosmetic surgery tourism. Dishonest unlicensed agents who make money by arranging plastic surgeries for Chinese clients have been found to be profiteering by taking advantage of many Chinese people's lack of information.
The number of Chinese nationals traveling to South Korea for plastic surgery has increased 11-fold in the past five years. However, the number of disputes involving cosmetic procedures has grown more than 10% each year. Some Chinese women paid agents large amounts of money only to be taken to unlicensed practitioners who botched their procedures.
One unnamed woman said she was so distressed at her appearance after a failed procedure that she had attempted to commit suicide on three separate occasions.
In early 2015, a woman in her 50s traveled to South Korea for surgery on her eyes and nose. Her heart stopped beating during the procedure, leaving her in a persistent vegetative state. The clinic where the operation was performed was found to be unlicensed.
According to Korea Tourism Organization statistics, over 56,000 Chinese people traveled to South Korea for plastic surgery, medical treatment and health checks in 2014. By comparison, the number was just 4,752 in 2009.
Though the number of clients coming South Korea for plastic surgery has jumped dramatically, the number of licensed surgeons in that country remained at just 2,000 as of 2014. This imbalance has been blamed as a factor in the rise of disputes over medical cosmetic services.
Reports by Chinese journalists stationed in South Korea said local authorities have arrested 11 illegal plastic surgery agents based on the Medical Service Act, which bans medical brokerage.
The reports also said that 67% of foreign nationals traveling to South Korea for plastic surgery were from China, and that 90% of the Chinese clients had used the services of illegal agents.
