The viral sensation ‘Gangnam style’ sparked imitations worldwide. Yet closer to home, the dream to be like such K-Pop idols is driving young South Koreans to a darker level of imitation: plastic surgery.

“Once people graduate almost all of them get double-eyelid surgery”, explains Gina, who recently left high-school. “In Korea they say, ‘please make my nose into the style of this star’.” In the district that is home to K-Pop’s major entertainment companies there are over 300 plastic surgery clinics on a single street. But some fear this growing beauty obsession is threatening young people’s sense of identity; “they treat their body as a product. They are losing the meaning of who they are”.

See these other videos about Asian Eyelid surgery: Beautiful sisters, Asian Eyelid Surgery : Erase Your Race? on The Doctors, Asians seeking surgery to look Western, Western Eyes, and eyelid surgery for high schoolers.

The K-pop Effect – South Korea