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Increasing numbers of Chinese are heading to South Korea for plastic surgery, but this may soon change, as He Na reports.存倉 In the eyes of Sun Shuang’s friends and colleagues, she is an attractive woman with virtually all the attributes needed to live a happy life. The 30-year-old, who uses an alias, lives and works in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, is tall, slim and the mother of a 2-year-old boy. Her husband loves his family. They both have decent jobs with good salaries and own a large, well-decorated apartment and a car bought by their parents when the couple married. Before giving birth, Sun was highly confident and extroverted, but afterwards became a little depressed and didn’t like talking or even going shopping with her friends, an activity she used to enjoy. When she went out, she walked with her head down. Sun did not explain the reason for the change in her behavior to anyone, apart from her husband. It turned out that Sun’s breasts — a little small before she gave birth — became much smaller after she breastfed her son. Her husband said he didn’t mind and loved her more than ever. But Sun said she wanted to undergo breast surgery in South Korea. Afraid that her symptoms may develop into deep depression, her husband gave his approval. With the help of a Shanghai-based website that organizes plastic surgery and sightseeing for Chinese in South Korea, the operation was a success. “The shape and feel of my breasts is pretty much the same as real ones. Even my husband says that I look better and I am more confident than before,” she said. In recent years increasing numbers of Chinese have opted for plastic surgery in South Korea to improve their appearance, significantly stimulating development of the country’s plastic surgery tourism industry, a high-revenue earner each year. Data from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute show the number of customers traveling to the country for medical-care tourism has risen steadily in recent years. The number of short-term customers (less than 15 days) rose to 150,000 in 2012, some 30,000 more than the year before. Customers from China led the way, followed by those from the United States, Japan, Russia and Mongolia. “Medical-care tourism, which combines medical treatment such as plastic surgery and physical checkups with sightseeing, has injected new blood into the two industries, not only creating more jobs that stimulate our economy, but also cultivating more professionals and driving the development of related educational industries,” said Kim Se-mann, executive director of the medical tourism department of the Korea Tourism Organization. Why go to Korea? Kim said about 31,000 Chinese entered South Korea on medical-care tourism visas in 2012, of which 62.9 percent were traveling for plastic surgery. This compares with only 4,700 in 2009. Liu Ming, 28, who w儲存rks for a real estate company in Sanming, a city in Fujian province, underwent a double eyelid operation in South Korea in June. “Although it’s much more expensive than the price I was quoted by large plastic surgery institutes in China, I still thought the money was well spent,” she said. “The surgery was perfect and after two months’ recovery my new, large eyes look natural, pretty and bright, totally changing the impression I had on others before, when friends often joked that even if I opened my eyes to their widest they still thought I was sleepy.” China’s plastic surgery industry has developed quickly in recent years and the country has a considerable number of plastic surgery institutes that customers can choose from. However, many people still prefer to travel to South Korea. Jason Liu, manager of the South Korean department of .6mchina.com, who travels between China and South Korea almost every month, said the reasons for this are proven technology, better service, South Korea’s position in world fashion circles and the fact that it is near China. Liu also said the increasing influence of Korean popular culture, such as the TV series Dae Jang Geum, popular songs like Gangnam Style and a batch of well-known singers, actors and actresses are other factors attracting increasing numbers of Chinese. In some plastic surgery hospitals in Seoul, the South Korean capital, more than 80 percent of the customers are Chinese. Better changes “Negative reports on some failed plastic surgery in recent years also scared away some customers and reduced people’s confidence in the industry in China. People would rather spend more to undergo the surgery in South Korea,” Liu said. “Currently, we have a batch of middle-aged customers who underwent plastic surgery operations several years ago in China who plan to come to South Korea for recovery operations,” he added. “Our website was established in 2009 and our customer numbers have steadily increased during the past four years, with an annual increase of between 70 and 80 percent. “So far, a considerable number of our customers look very pretty to me, but still hope to have small operations to make them look better and become more confident,” he said. “Besides, seeking beauty is not the sole preserve of young people. We have customers of different age groups with different plastic-surgery demands,” Liu added. He said college students, especially those at art schools, will mainly have nose and eye surgery, while white-collar workers opt for facial improvement, such as changing the shape of the face. Contact the writer at hena@chinadaily.com.cn 150,000 number of people traveling to South Korea for medical-care tourism in 2012 31,000estimated number of Chinese entering South Korea on medical-care tourism visas in 2012, of which 62.9 percent were traveling for plastic surgery self storage