The widespread consumption of cosmetic surgery in South Korea has become a topic of great discussion as its popularity continues to grow exponentially. In a recent study by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, South Korea was estimated to have the highest rate of cosmetic surgery per capita of any country in the world. Within South Korea, the rate of consumption of cosmetic surgery procedures continues to rise— particularly amongst young females. In fact, it has been estimated that one in five women in Seoul have received some type of cosmetic surgery procedure, according to a 2009 survey by Trend Monitor. 

Furthermore, it is important to note that the South Korean cosmetic surgery industry has recently experienced significant growth in market scale and has become a trillion-dollar industry— not only locally but also globally. According to the Fair Trade Commission Republic of Korea, in 2014 the South Korean cosmetic surgery industry was worth roughly $5 trillion, thus owning 24% of the total world market share. In addition, Korean medical tourism has become an extremely lucrative industry and roughly one-third of the Korean cosmetic surgery industry’s overall profits come from “surgery tourists”. 

This striking phenomenon of South Korean cosmetic surgery thus raises several crucial questions to consider regarding issues of identity, youth and gender— under the larger framework of neo-liberal capitalism and globalization. In this pathway, I will analyze how the South Korean cosmetic surgery industry targets youth and women (and especially young women) as primary consumers in the context of globalization and a consumer capitalist society. In order to do so, I will first explore how the consumption of cosmetic surgery has become normalized for women in South Korea as well as how it has normalized an ideal standard of feminine beauty. Next, I will demonstrate how the cosmetic surgery industry targets youth as a key consumer class and strategically utilizes digital technology and popular culture in the process. Finally, I will assess how the South Korean cosmetic surgery industry gets commodified and exported as a globalized brand, namely to the Chinese market.

1. The Normalization of Cosmetic Surgery in South Korea: Investment in Self-Development & Women as Consumer Bodies
2. The Normalization/Homogenization of an 'Ideal' Beauty Standard: Capitalist Strategy & Globalization
3. Targeting Youth through Popular Culture & Digital Technology
4. Beauty by Korean Design: 'Korean Cosmetic Surgery’ as a Exported Globalized Commodity