Kdrama stars are often accused of having cosmetic surgery as if it was some kind of crime. The accusations can prompt stars to dig up childhood photos to prove that their nose, lips or eyes are untouched. While one in five women in Seoul now have plastic surgery, very few stars will admit to even considering it.
That may soon change.
When Miss Korea 2012 was recently accused of having plastic surgery, she did not deny it.
"I never said I was born beautiful," she said.
Plastic surgery procedures to achieve wider eyes, double eyelids or a smaller face with a v-shaped chin are becoming so popular they even affect film and drama casting.
Film director Im Kwon Taek once said it was becoming more difficult to cast actresses with what he called a traditional Korean face.
"They all have that surgery to have their eyelids scrolled up," he said.
Yet very few stars will admit having work done and fans are quick to accuse, even in cases where it turns out no work was done.
Stars who have been accused by fans include Han Ga In and Jang Dong Gun.
Korean plastic surgeons are often asked for a "Han Ga In nose," so people assume she had hers fixed, but her nose is her own. Pictures of the "Moon Embracing the Sun" star at an earlier age show her nose has not changed and her younger brother Jang Seo Jin has a similar nose.
Jang Dong Gun, who appeared in "A Gentleman's Dignity," has been accused of having work done but earlier photos show a similar face.
"People always think I had plastic surgery, especially on my nose," said the actor. "I've heard it so many times."
Recently a few actresses have confessed to making alterations. On a celebrity talk show, Lee Da Hae, who appeared in "Iris 2," was asked and admitted to minor alterations. Netizens say the extent of her work may depend on your definition of minor. If you compare earlier photographs of the 28-year-old actress with more recent ones, it seems as if a section of her jawbone was shaved away and her cheekbones are higher.
Kim Yoon Hye, who appeared in "Flower Boys Next Door" and "Heartstrings," said she felt she needed work because her face changed during puberty. People told her she was not as pretty any more."
"In order to regain my confidence I made changes to my face," said Kim. "My eyes, nose and mouth are the same but because people said they did not like the line underneath, I knew I had to change it to feel confident."
Do fans care about surgery because they want their idols to be naturally perfect? If your career is partially based on the way you look, should you not be able to improve your looks? How do you feel about kdrama stars having plastic surgery? Do you feel they should confess? Let us know.
