South Korean seniors get taste for plastic surgery, Gangnam style
- The clinics of Seoul’s infamous plastic surgery hub have a changing face thanks to the country’s ageing population
- Many are now patronised by over 65s seeking facelifts to remedy sagging skin and the ravages of age
Gangnam, the district of Seoul mentioned in South Korean pop star Psy’s 2012 hit song Gangnam Style, has some of the capital city’s most modern avenues. A concrete jungle with tall buildings full of entertainment and food outlets, its pavements are always brimming with youth.
While many streets in Seoul have similar sights, one thing makes Gangnam stand out – almost every building in the district has a sign advertising a plastic surgery clinic.
Among the hundreds of plastic surgery clinics in the neighbourhood, NAMU Beauty Medical Group is one of the bigger operators. The clinic has four stories of consultation and surgical procedure rooms. Pictures of young women with tall, straight noses and big, round eyes line the walls. But among the women in the reception room on the second floor, some are a little older. Women – and men – over the age of 65 have become regular patients of this clinic and similar ones across the country.
In 2018, South Korea’s senior population – citizens aged 65 and above – represented more than 14 per cent of the population. That makes the country officially an “ageing society”, according to the United Nations’ definition. The governmental office of Statistics Korea has predicted the senior population will make up 41 per cent of the population by 2060. The East Asian country has faced slowing population growth for decades due to low birth and marriage rates.
