South Korea has been dubbed as the cosmetic surgery capital of Asia with almost $5 billion spent in the cosmetic surgery industry. According to some reports, the Korean influence across Asia has affected the way they look at themselves. Women from Mongolia and China flock to the country to have their face changed in order to look like Korean celebrities.
However, even men are engrossed in plastic surgery to look better looking and less Asian. They despise their small eyes and try to undergo double lid surgery to have bigger ones.
Kim Bok-soon is a Korean woman who wanted to look better through cosmetic surgery. She disliked her nose and wanted to have a nose job because one of their Korean superstitions says that the higher the nose is, the richer one will become in the future. She then saw a magazine advertisement while waiting in a salon. She decided to have cosmetic surgery despite the objections of her family.
She was given false assurances and promises by the doctor. When she decided to splurge on the operation, she took loans to be able to pay for it. She had spent over 30 million won or $28,000 for 15 surgeries on her face. All the procedures were done in just one day. After her surgery, she knew something is wrong on her face.
Later on, she found out the doctor was not a real plastic surgeon. Five years after her traumatic experience, she is battling medical problems associated with the operations she underwent. Her eyes are unable to close and she can't seem to stop her nose from running. Now, she is divorced from her husband and has depression.
Kim Bok-soon told the reporter from Reuters, "It is so horrible that people can't look at my face. This is not a human face. It is more revolting than monsters or aliens." The fake doctor has other criminal cases regarding his illegal practice.
Since 2009, many women are complaining against the doctor. However, he denied an interview and is still not convicted. For the past years, South Korea is always in the top ten countries with most numbers of cosmetic surgery procedures.
The rate of complaints regarding fake doctors and improper procedures received by authorities has doubled in 2013. The cosmetic surgery tourism in the country faces raps because of fake doctors. Authorities are recommending investigation of all cosmetic clinics in the country.
