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www.groovekorea.com / May 2014 54 Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com) INSIGHT From cosmetics to eyelid surgery, vanity spurs Korea’s economy The big bucks in beauTy Story by Remy Raitt / Illustrations by Jungeun Jang “ The more you spend in Korea, the more beautiful you will be,” says Kim Hye-ra, a 28-year-old office worker from Seoul, as she peers at her perfectly manicured nails. “I haven’t had surgery, but that’s just because I haven’t had the money to do it yet. I guess I should save, but I’m always spending my money on my hair and nails and makeup.” Kim says she’s been keeping up with Korean beauty ideals since she was a teenager. She visits the nail sa- lon every week to get a manicure, gel color and nail art, and has her hair colored or restyled bimonthly, though declined to disclose her spending. “I do it to keep up with my friends and coworkers. … I don’t want to be the ugly duck. No one does.” It’s no secret that beauty is big business in the country nicknamed “The Republic of Plastic Surgery.” Accord- ing to the Korean Association for Plastic Surgery, 1 in every 77 people in South Korea has had plastic surgery. “I got double-eyelid surgery last year as a gift from my parents,” says Choi Min-seo, an economics student at Seoul National University. “I did it because I want to be more attractive, but also because if you are more beautiful in Korea, life is easier for you.” In the coun- try’s intensely competitive job market, she explains, the better looking you are, the better you fare in finding employment. “Beautiful people will always be chosen first. My parents understand this, and they also think it will help me find a good husband,” she adds shyly. Korea was ranked seventh in the International Soci- ety of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons’ global survey on the number of cosmetic procedures performed in 2011. It also comes in at seventh place in the global rankings of the number of plastic surgeons by country. When look- ing at both of these statistics, it’s worth noting, however, that five of the six countries ranked ahead of South Korea (U.S., Brazil, China, Japan and Mexico) all have populations well above 100 million people, as com- pared to the ROK’s 50 million; the number of surgeons and plastic surgeries per capita here actually places it at the top of the list. According to Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, there are 1,767 surgeons in the coun- try with upwards of 4,000 registered and unregistered clinics performing aesthetic procedures. “Just look at Gangnam,” says Kim. “It’s like a plastic surgery depart- ment store — anything you want to change about your- self, you can change there.” And business is booming. The Fair Trade Commission reported that plastic surgery brings in 500 billion won ($473.9 million) a year, and one-quarter of the world’s plastic surgeries take place in Korea. The country’s obsession with beauty is a huge driving force for the economy, and the figures continue to rise. But women in Korea aren’t just digging deep to go under the knife. They are also shelling out for non-inva- sive procedures: cosmetics, makeup and regular beauty treatments. Kang Chan-koo, a research fellow at the Samsung Economic Research Institute, reported that the Korean cosmetics market grew to 8.9 trillion won in 2011, from 5.6 trillion won in 2006. That’s an annual increase of 10.4 percent, which he says easily outstrips the annual average retail sales growth of 6.1 percent in the same period. But research shows that Korean women ar- en’t blowing their budget on imported beauty products, which are sold at upwards of 6.5 percent higher than their duty-added import prices; instead, the fastidious consumers are keeping things local. “The Korean cosmetics market has been growing at