The Crazy World of Korea's Plastic Surgery Industry

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➤ BOOK CLUB / NEWSLETTTER
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➤ PRODUCTION (ESSAY)
written by Mina Le and Am Wyckoff
edited by Charlee Reiff

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➤ CONTACT
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➤ SOURCES
Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital by Elise Hu
https://utsynergyjournal.org/2020/10/07/plastics-past-the-complex-historical-and-cultural-influences-underlying-south-koreas-plastic-surgery-phenomenon/
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-11711-5_5
https://www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-plastic-surgery-upselling-k-face-instagram-face-tourism-2025-4
https://inanna.ca/product/han-kut-critical-art-and-writing-korean-canadian-women/
https://www.reddit.com/r/kpophelp/comments/qhloqm/what_do_fans_exactly_mean_when_an_idol_has_good/
https://www.koreaboo.com/stories/attractive-enough-pass-koreas-8-stacked-heads-test/
https://www.koreaboo.com/stories/kpop-plastic-surgeons-botox-nostrils/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/04/korea-culture-k-pop-music-film-tv-hallyu-v-and-a
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/11/business/international-business-many-proud-south-koreans-resent-bailout-from-abroad.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/04/korea-culture-k-pop-music-film-tv-hallyu-v-and-a
https://www.medicalkorea.or.kr/en/cosmeticsurgerytaxrefund
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/23/about-face
https://www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-plastic-surgery-upselling-k-face-instagram-face-tourism-2025-4
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/23/about-face
https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/contents/contentsView.do?dataSetId=131&menuSn=923&previewYn=&sContsTtl=&sort=regDt&page=2&vcontsId=216524
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-14/south-korea-s-medical-tourism-boom-fuels-doctor-shortage-fears-podcast
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Comparison-of-Surgery-Costs-in-the-United-States-vs-Korea_tbl1_286373188
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/23/as-south-korea-draws-visitors-chasing-beauty-dodgy-practices-pose-risks
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9896146/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/10/asia/south-korea-ghost-doctors-plastic-surgery-intl-hnk-dst
https://www.theechonews.com/article/2024/03/students-reflect-on-experiences
https://www.hankyung.com/news/article/2007100183898.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/south-korean-parents-are-making-their-kids-get-plastic-surgery/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/is-there-a-dark-side-to-those-adorable-bento-boxes
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191013-lifting-the-lid-on-japans-amazing-bento-boxes
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/is-there-a-dark-side-to-those-adorable-bento-boxes
https://theworld.org/stories/2019/07/17/south-koreas-new-blind-hiring-law-bans-personal-interview-questions
https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/703749983/south-korean-women-escape-the-corset-and-reject-their-countrys-beauty-ideals
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1206&context=dignity
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890406516301323?via%3Dihub
https://thenewinquiry.com/only-women-are-named-hope/

0:00 - intro
4:38 - K-Face
12:00 - The K-Beauty Industry
24:44 - Lookism
33:33 - Conclusion