When Lee Da Hae recently appeared on a celebrity talk show, she was asked whether she had any work done to her face. For the first time, she admitted that she had indeed undergone plastic surgery.

When the host, Moon Hee Jun, expressed his surprise at learning that she had, she responded, "Please continue to think like that.

When Moon said that he thought it was really well done and it was hard to tell, the actress laughed and thanked him.

Her on-air admission ended years of speculation about whether or not she had plastic surgery. The speculation extended beyond the borders of Korea. Because of her popularity in China, a prominent Chinese news site even commented on it.

It was easy to see that something about her appearance had changed. Fans compared pictures of the star of the KBS drama "Iris 2" with earlier pictures and were sure the changes could not be accounted for by makeup or losing weight.

"I was originally fat and went on some crazy diets," said Lee Da Hae. "But I did have some remodeling done."

"Some is an understatement," said one netizen in response to that quote by the actress.

When you compare Lee's earlier photos with her more recent ones, it looks as if, at the very least, the lower half of her face was slimmed down through a procedure known as jawbone reduction. This procedure involves shaving a section of the jawbone away to make the jaw less square and the shape of the face more oval. Fans speculate that her cheeks were also filled out, possibly with Botox, and the bridge of her nose seems higher than it used to be.

Lee is only 28 but it's not unusual for women her age to have plastic surgery in South Korea. The nation has the highest plastic surgery rate in the world, with 33 percent more surgeries performed each year than the U.S. and some have expressed concern that young South Korean women all want to achieve the same look.

It doesn't help the self-image problems of young women when someone who already won the Miss Chun Hyang beauty pageant elects to have more work done. Lee is best known for her roles in the dramas "My Girl," "Green Rose," "Slave Hunters" and "Miss Ripley." She previously denied having any work done but it may have reached the point where the changes to her face are too obvious.

Some netizens wondered why such a pretty girl bothered.

"I really think she's doing surgery way too often and she was the prettiest when she appeared in 'My Girl,'" one fan said.

"Her face has really turned weird," said another. "Why does she keep touching it up? It's so disappointing."

But the actress is pleased with the changes to her appearance and hopes fans will focus on her performances.