China’s embassy in Seoul against plastic surgery in South Korea
China's diplomatic mission is warning its citizens of risks, ranging from nonrecognition at border controls to death, after a Chinese woman died from complications following multiple liposuction surgery in South Korea. Meanwhile, the K-beauty industry continues to draw visitors from all over the world.
Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – China’s embassy in South Korea is warning Chinese citizens of the dangers of plastic surgery in South Korea, citing the risk of death, but also of undergoing facial changes that could prevent them from passing through immigration controls.
“In recent years, many foreigners have come to South Korea for cosmetic surgery, and some people have been involved in medical disputes and surgical failures and even deaths have occurred," the Chinese embassy said in a statement.
The latter follows the death of a Chinese woman who had travelled to South Korea to undergo multiple liposuction. She visited a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul’s Gangnam area, which did not respond to requests for comment from international news agencies.
South Korea is one of the most popular destinations in the world for medical tourism. According to Statista, about 46,300 foreign patients travelled to the Asian country in 2022, most from China or the United States, but also Thailand, Vietnam, and Mongolia.
This is substantial, but still far below pre-pandemic figures (2019), when around 90,500 visitors made the same trip for some form of medical tourism, which has been growing since 2009 thanks to the government's promotion of the local beauty industry, dubbed K-beauty.
South Koreans too are very keen on their appearance regardless of gender, and it is not uncommon for them to resort to plastic surgery several times during their lives.
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, South Korea had 2,718 plastic surgeons in 2022. By comparison, it is estimated that China, which has a population 28 times larger than South Korea's, there are about 3,000.
A global survey stated that K-beauty was one of South Korea’s main trendy export industries after K-pop, food, computers, and TV series.
People from Southeast Asia and the Middle East are the most interested in beauty products (creams, serums, masks, etc.) from the East Asian country, citing product quality as the main factor.
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12/02/2016 15:14
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