K-pop? K-dramas? No, K-surgery

South Korea is known for its thriving plastic surgery industry. Korea easily has the highest rate of plastic surgery per capita in the world, and it is estimated that between one-fifth and one-third of the women in Seoul have undergone plastic surgery. With that being said, many public areas with a lot of people have plastic surgery advertisements. These advertisements are usually placed on the streets or in areas like subway stations. Some regions with many plastic surgery clinics, such as Gangnam, have advertisements on every street.

Plastic surgery advertisements always feature an eye-catching image of a conventionally attractive person, implying that anyone who gets procedures done at their clinic will be able to look like the person in the advertisements. Most, if not all, advertisements also include before-and-after photos of someone considered “less” attractive who has undergone plastic surgery procedures. These advertisements highlight the high presence plastic surgery has on South Korean society.