REFERENCES

[1] E., J., Y., J., & S. (2012). Korean Plastic Surgery Statistics. Seoul Touch Up. Retrieved
November 12, 2017, from https://www.seoultouchup.com/korean-plastic-surgery-
statistics/.

[2] Kim H. (2009, June 1). The Plastic Surgery Obsession in South
Korea.http://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/. Retrieved November 12, 2017.

[3] Nanto, K. D., Cooper, H. W., Donnelly, J. M., & Johnson R. (2011.April 6). Japan’s
2011 Earthquake and Tsunami: Economic Effects and Implications for the United
States (R41702, Rep. No. R41702). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved
November 12, 2017, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41702.pdf.

[4] Said, S. (2013, April 15). The Cheapest Places in The World to Get Plastic Surgery.
The Richest. Retrieved November 12, 2017, from
https://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/location/the-cheapest-places-in-the-
world-to-get-plastic-surgery/.

[5] Wang, Y. (2015). Behind South Korean Cosmetic Surgery: Its historical causes and its
intertwined relationship with Korean pop culture. University of Delaware.
 ELC 590 (ENGLISH FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS)
SAMPLE ARTICLE 1

By Eunmi, Jasmin, Joon, Youngmin, Seobin.

Korean Medical Tourism Statistics

Chart 1

According to the latest statistics by Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), the
number of people traveling to Korea for medical tourism is nearly reaching a whopping
300,000. From 2010 to 2013, there has been a steady growth rate of 30%, and as of 2014, the
trend seems ever-consistent. Seoul Touch Up is confident to say that along with Korean
medical tourism stats, Korean plastic surgery’s popularity will only continue to rise for the next
5 years - at least till 2020.

Top 5 Countries - Korean Medical Tourism

Chart 2

Among nearly 300,000 medical tourists that have entered Korea up to 2014, Seoul Touch Up
has found that Korean medical tourism is most popular with customers coming from five
particular countries. The top 5 countries are China, America, Russia, Japan and Mongolia.

The degree in which people from these countries are traveling to Korea for surgery is increasing
and decreasing at their own rate. Who tops the charts when it comes to having the highest rate
of customers coming to Korea? The country is China. It is perhaps because the medical standard
in Korea is much higher, safer and more trustworthy than that of China. The second country
with an increasing rate of customers coming to Korea is America. Besides the expertise in
advanced surgeries, Korea is a less costly alternative to American plastic surgery. There has
also been a surprising increase in customers coming in from Mongolia, a developing country
that does not have the medical expertise that Korea provides. However, Japan might be the
only unusual case because the trend has gone the opposite in the recent years. Seoul Touch Up
believes that it is probably because of the drop-in value of yen and rising prices in South Korea.

What is the Most Popular Korean Plastic

Surgery?
Having witnessed the rise of today’s Korean plastic surgery trends, Seoul Touch Up has found
that the two most common procedures include eye surgeries and nose surgeries. The eye
surgeries to create larger, double-lidded eyes and the nose surgeries to heighten the oriental
nose. The two are so common that they are regarded as the most basic of procedures and are
done by 80% of the medical tourists. Also, Seoul Touch Up has found that the most popular
procedure in Korea for non-Asians is facial bone surgery. It is probably because facial bone
surgeries require a lot of skills and experience. Outside of Korea, it would be difficult to find
experienced doctors who specialize in facial bone contouring, even in Beverly Hills. As for
those coming from the Middle East, liposuction and face lift are the most in demand.

In South Korea, there are hundreds of facial bone specialists, and there are even Korean plastic
surgery makeover TV shows that showcase the very best of Korean facial bone contouring.
Although what is considered beautiful differs from culture to culture, the natural-looking
results of Korean plastic surgery stays to be the beauty trend and universal standard.
 SAMPLE ARTICLE 2

Getting a plastic surgery can be overwhelming because you’ll need to cover a lot of concerns.
The main issue here is the cost of the procedure and the credibility of the doctor who will
perform the surgery. There are many clinics out there that offer such services. And you
certainly do not want to compromise your well-being by simply jumping in without giving
much thought and research.

Plastic surgery is no longer a thing that needs to be kept secret from the public. More and more
people are open to the idea of enhancing their looks through the help of medical technology.
The crowd does not only include the rich and famous. In fact, even ordinary people have that
desire to attain a perfect body through plastic surgery. It doesn’t matter where they get it as
long as they have the best doctors, facilities, and results. Yes, they are willing to pay the price
of becoming a medical tourist.

But, do know you that there are many places all over the world where you can get the same
results without having to shell out too much money? That is right. Of course, you should be
careful before you actually proceed with any form of plastic surgery. Experts always advise
those who want to go under the knife for the sake of beauty to be wary at first lest you want to
get something worse than you bargained for.

10. India

India takes pride of its skilled local doctors

who had their training and surgical practice in
countries like Australia, Canada, United
Kingdom, and the United States of America.
International medical tourists are assured that
they get the same excellent treatment with a
lesser price compared to the plastic surgery
costs in these first world countries. The
healthcare facilities are especially designed to
accommodate international visitors. To add,
services they offer are granted accreditation by the JCAHO, which is prestigious accreditation
agency. There is no language barrier here since English is India’s second language.
 9. Dominican Republic

In spite of Hollywood’s negative

depiction of getting a plastic surgery in a
small country in the Caribbean, the truth
is that the Dominican Republic has a
reputation of offering excellent but
inexpensive plastic surgery. Those who
had undergone cosmetic procedures can
attest to that. In fact, these patients were
surprised to discover that the surgeons here are very professional, skilled, cordial, and are even
willing to negotiate fees with their patients. What would normally cost $6,000 in the USA can be
performed in Dominican Republic with an astonishing amount of only $2,400 – and sometimes
even lower.

8. Thailand

Thailand is famous for its exotic culture

and places. Bangkok, the country’s
capital city, is always flocked with
Western tourists who seek plastic
surgery. The surgeons and other hospital
staff are courteous and service-oriented.
Getting superb care at a cheaper price is
definitely what makes Thailand one of
the sought-after places for getting a
variety of plastic surgery procedures
enhance a person’s look. Each procedure and client aretotreated with confidentiality. Those who
go to Thailand can expect world-class service.

7. Taiwan

Taiwan boasts of performing around

221,000 procedures in 2010. This
simply shows that there is a high
demand for plastic surgery because
the country has very affordable fees.
Their rates are competitive and rival
those of other Asian nations such as
China and Japan. Medical tourism in
Taiwan is really booming since most
surgeons get their education and training overseas. In addition, their health care facilities and
services are one of the best in the region. Western patients are surprised just by how
inexpensive the treatments here are.
6. USA

The United States of America is the

hub for many invasive and non-
invasive surgical procedures. The top
in-demand cosmetic surgeries are
liposuction and breast augmentations.
Plastic surgery has gone a long way
here since people talk openly about it
in contrast to how people perceive it a
couple of decades ago. Because of
this, plastic surgery continues to grow in the country.

5. Colombia

Colombia takes pride of being a medical

tourism hot spot. Among the popular
plastic surgery procedures, liposuction is
the most in-demand. Foreigners who travel
to other countries like Colombia for a
plastic surgery are advised to take caution.
The procedures that are done are safe, but
one must be careful when navigating the
country as there are areas which may not
be as tourist-friendly.

4. Brazil

Brazilians have no squirms when it comes

to plastic surgery. The top most popular
invasive surgeries are liposuction and
breast enhancement procedures. Even the
government support elective plastic
surgery through a tax-deduction system,
where cosmetic surgeries are deductible
from the people’s income tax. This is
because the government sees that the high
demand for the different plastic surgery
procedures provide additional income for
those practicing in the industry.
This will eventually boost medical tourism in their country.
3. Italy

Italy had Botox Dysport as the most popular

and affordable plastic surgery done while
liposuction was considered as the most
commonly sought invasive procedure.
Around 815,00 procedures are performed
here annually. This report surprised the
experts since not long ago, the country was
rarely recognized as a good venue for plastic
surgeries.

2. Greece

In spite of the fact that Greece has a

struggling economy, it comes in second
place when talking about the number of
affordable procedures done here. The most
popular procedure is breast augmentation.
Surprisingly, penis enlargement
procedures are reportedly done 10 times
more than the average frequency in other
countries, and this is because people find it
cheaper if the surgery is done here.
Clearly, globalization plays a key role for the plastic surgery industry to flourish in
unpredicted places all over the world.
Factor 2
1. South Korea

South Korea has the Asian region’s biggest

plastic surgery patrons. And it’s now
wonder since the country is known for
having the most skilled surgeons and the
best facilities that will not necessarily drain
one’s wallet. Among the common
procedures performed here are liposuction,
nose jobs and double eyelid surgery. In
2010, it is reported that 44,000 double of
eyelid surgeries were done in this country. This is not surprising since most Asian patients opt
to have those Western-looking set of eyes, whilst there is a total of more than 360,000
procedures in the same year. One out of five women from Seoul have undergone plastic
surgery, this is according to a market-research conducted in 2009.
 SAMPLE ARTICLE 3

Japan’s 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami:

Economic Effects and Implications for
the United States
Dick K. Nanto, Coordinator
Specialist in Industry and Trade

William H. Cooper
Specialist in International Trade and Finance

J. Michael Donnelly
Information Research Specialist

Renée Johnson
Specialist in Agricultural Policy

April 6, 2011

Congressional Research Service

7-5700
www.crs.gov
R41702
 Reason for downward trend for Japan
Overview
The March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan followed by
the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Nuclear Complex, evacuations, and shortage
of electricity are having a large negative economic impact on the country but a
lesser effect on world markets. Japan has lost considerable physical and human
capital. Physical damage has been estimated from $195 billion to as much as $305
billion, the latter figure being nearly four times as much as Hurricane Katrina
($81 billion) and roughly equivalent to the GDP of Greece and twice that of New
Zealand. In excess of 28,000 persons in Japan are killed or missing, and more
than 196,000 homes and other buildings have been totally or partially damaged.
Earthquake-related events in Japan are still unfolding; therefore, any economic
impact assessments are at best preliminary. Nevertheless, analysts expect that
over the next quarter or so, Japan’s economy will contract and may fall into
recession, but it may expand later in the year and into 2010 because of rebuilding
activity. As the third-largest economy in the world, Japan’s GDP at $5.5 trillion
accounts for 8.7% of global GDP.

Congressional interest on the economic side centres on humanitarian concerns,

radioactive fallout reaching the United States, the impact on U.S. citizens and
American companies in Japan, the effects on trade and disruptions to supply
chains, and increased volatility in Japanese and U.S. financial markets, interest
rates, and the yen-dollar exchange rate.

The damage from the earthquake and tsunami is being compounded by the
evacuations and uncertainty from the problems at the Fukushima nuclear reactors.
Tokyo’s power supply is experiencing a shortfall of as much as a third of peak
capacity, and the electrical grid is experiencing a current shortage of as much as
a quarter of capacity. The earthquake also damaged plants and equipment far from
its epicentre. Port facilities, sensitive electronic equipment, 2,126 roads, and 56
bridges also were harmed. These were located in a wide area of the country that
even reached Tokyo’s northern suburbs. The human toll also has been great with
12,554 persons killed, 15,077 missing, and another 2,866 injured (as of April 6,
2011). In Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, 1,669 public schools—69% of the
total—were damaged or have collapsed. Higher radiation levels are being
detected in Tokyo’s water supply and in leafy vegetables and milk from around
the area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. Depending on how long the
nation’s electrical generating capacity is impaired, how long and how wide an
area of evacuation because of radiation danger is continued, whether the nuclear
reactors are brought under control, and how quickly alternative sources can be
found for critical electronic and automotive parts whose production has been
curtailed, the negative economic effects could grow.

In recent decades, Japan’s growth rate has lagged behind that of the world, so it
has not been a major contributor to global economic growth. The net impact of
the disaster on global GDP, therefore, is expected to be relatively small (minus
about one-half a percentage point) with about half of that effect confined to Japan,
itself.
As for U.S.-Japan economic relations, it is likely that the impact of the earthquake
and ensuing events on the bilateral economic relationship will be modest overall;
however, the effects could be more profound in the near term and on specific
sectors and firms for which trade and investment with Japan is particularly
important. Reason for downward trend for Japan
 SAMPLE ARTICLE 4

BEHIND SOUTH KOREAN COSMETIC SURGERY:

ITS HISTORICAL CAUSES AND ITS INTERTWINED RELATIONSHIP WITH

KOREAN POP CULTURE

by

Yuqing Wang

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfilment of

the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

Spring 2015

© 2015 Yuqing Wang

All Rights Reserved

 Chapter 5

THE IMPACT OF KOREAN COSMETIC SURGERY INDUSTRY

As previous chapters have revealed, South Korea has become one of the most important

pioneers in the field of cosmetic surgery, and for this it has earned high reputation and

recognition in the world. This lucrative surgery industry, coupled with the uprising global K-

pop wave, “Hallyu”, has created substantial impacts on South Korea in various aspects.

Economically, it inspires the growth of medical tourism to Korea, creating more jobs for

Koreans such as surgery consultants, interpreters, etc.; socially, it reinforces the importance of

appearance and attracts a larger K-pop fanbase; individually, it encourages people to achieve

their ideal images; and physiologically, it restores patients’ confidence once the surgeries are

done. The discussion below will consider each aspect to demonstrate the multifaceted impact

of cosmetic surgery on South Korea.

Impact I: Medical Tourism to Korea

The fame of Korea’s high-quality, low-cost cosmetic surgery has caused a butterfly effect after

spreading to the world, leading people from other nations to come to Korea to alter their
Factor 1
appearance. Therefore, South Korea’s reputation as the world’s “Beauty Capital” has inspired

the Seoul Metropolitan Government to launch the Tourism Promotion Act. This Act is designed

to attract more overseas medical tourists to Korea, as reported by Visit Korea.

With the governmental encouragement of medical tourism, cosmetic surgeons in Korea have

been experiencing an increasing number of patients from all over the world. Patients, who are
influenced by the K-pop culture, are convinced that the Korean surgeons have magic

techniques to offer them the look they want (Figure 22). Many surgeons have told media that

it is not uncommon to see patients from Southeast Asia request cosmetic operations to make

them look like certain Korean celebrities (dailytelegraph.com).

Figure 22 Face Transformation Magic

Source From: http://www.ips-kr.com/big5/blog_detail.php?news_autonumber=526

Statistics released by medical research institutions also have shown the strong impact

of Korean cosmetic surgery on its national economy. According to the Korean Ministry of

Health and Welfare, the number of overseas travellers getting aesthetic treatment in Korea rose

32.5% to more than 211,000 in 2013 (english.mw.go.kr); Asian 47 patients were the biggest

foreign spenders as they accounted for 26.5% of the total surgery patients and spent a combined

1.02 trillion won in Korea in 2013.

Meanwhile, the Korea Tourism Organization has reported that the number of medical

tourists who visit the Gangnam District for cosmetic surgery was 19,135 in 2010 (imtj.com).
Yet according to the census, the number of patients jumped to 34,156 by the end of 2012 in

this district alone and skyrocketed to 43,000 in 2013 (imtj.com). Korea Tourism Organization

is said to expect the number of medical tourists to Korea to reach more than 1 million in

2020, generating approximately 3.5 trillion won (US $3.2 billion) in revenue (business

korea).

The Tourism Promotion Act, along with other deliberate government encouragement,

has accelerated the growth of the Korean domestic cosmetic surgery industry. The act is not

limited to simply encouraging the growth of the cosmetic surgery industry, but also it includes

a plan to build an all-in-one, one-stop surgery complex. Such a complex would provide tourists

with transportation service, medical-care operating rooms, lodging/hotels, aftercare facilities,

as well as food and drinks, shopping, sports and recreational services. The government

tentatively termed this complex the “Seoul Center for Aesthetic Medical Tourism General

Support”. The Center is reported to be set up as a part of efforts to develop Seoul into a global

city favorable to foreign visitors and residents, which corresponds to the city government’s

announcement in 2013, "Plans for the Globalization of Seoul" (asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr).

SAMPLE ARTICLE 5
 From the standpoint of parents, plastic surgery is a way to prove their support for their
children. With so many young people having themselves remade, parents are afraid their
children will fall behind, not just academically, but aesthetically. "Parents make their kids get
plastic surgery," says Dr. Shim HyungBo, a plastic surgeon in Seoul, "just like they make them
study. They realize looks are important for success." Parents give double eyelid surgery as a
graduation present, or encourage their children to undergo the surgical process in the hopes
that it will help them in the long run. Because the double eyelid surgery is considered a very
safe procedure, many parents are optimistic about their children receiving it early.

For many women, dating and marriage are another factor that motivates them to go
under the knife. Getting married to a financially stable man is one of the highest priorities for
Korean women. In a fiercely patriarchal society in which women are expected to stay home,
clean, cook and raise kids, the worth of the woman comes down to their looks when husbands-
to-be search for their wives. Getting ahead of the pack of women desperately hoping for an
easy life with a husband who will provide and take care of them is a top concern. Women of
marriageable age are under intense pressure to look their best at all times. For example,
certain dating agencies will not accept members who are not considered above average in
terms of looks to keep their clientele list high quality. One of the consequences has been an
explosion in plastic surgery. All in all, it is considered a sensible investment for women to look
beautiful at all costs, even if it means permanently changing their facial features.

Also, the availability and affordable cost of plastic surgery tempt people. Compared to
the techniques of the plastic surgeons, the price is affordable. Seoul is a plastic-surgery
boomtown because of the reasonable prices. Double-eye lid surgery in Korea costs about
80,000 Won, which is equal to about 800 dollars. National Statistical Office showed that the
average monthly income of office workers was 2.98 million won. Compared to the annual
income of an average salary worker, the cost is relatively cheap. Also, there are thousands of
clinics available where patients can go. Apkujong, a section of Seoul with over 600 clinics,
even a busy avenue nicknamed "Plastic Surgery Street." People are more inclined to undergo
the procedure if they are exposed to the availability constantly. Because of the competition
among clinics, customer service is of the highest quality. Many people are treated like kings
and queens at the clinics, providing more incentive for people to revisit or recommend the
place to others. Word of mouth is a valuable marketing tool for the clinics, and surgeons
depend on it to keep the business thriving.
Factor 3
South Korea’s wealth has been another reason for the boom in plastic surgery. This is
true especially because with its recent recession, South Koreans are spending less on plastic
surgery, reflecting the fact that it was a luxury pastime many indulged in before the economic
recession. Interestingly however, South Korea's plunge toward recession is bringing in high-
spending tourists by the planeload in search of bargains and beauty. Foreign tourists, mainly
from Japan and China, have been pouring into South Korea to receive plastic surgery. The
national currency, the Won, that has fallen in the past year by 40% against the Japanese yen
alone. Asia's fourth largest economy has become cheap for foreigners. According to Kim
Byung-gun, the head surgeon at BK Dong Yang Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seoul, costs for
plastic surgery is now half of what it costs in the United States. When foreign exchange rates
apply, the price becomes less than one third of what it used to cost.