Cosmetic Surgeries Operations Rise in South Korea During Pandemic

SEOUL, LELEMUKU.COM - South Korean demand for cosmetic surgery operations sharply increased in 2020.

Last year, the industry in South Korea was worth about $10.7 billion dollars. That was an increase of around nine percent from 2019. South Koreans are expected to spend around $11.8 billion this year, says Gangnam Unni, the country’s largest online cosmetic surgery website.

Ryu Han-na is a 20-year-old university student. She got an operation on her nose in December.

Ryu took her classes online throughout 2020. She said the abilities to rest at home and to wear a face covering in public were important for her.

“I always wanted to get a nose job...I thought it would be the best to get it now before people start taking off masks when vaccines become available in 2021,” she said as she prepared for the operation, which cost around $4,000.

“There will be bruises and swelling from the surgery but since we’ll all be wearing masks I think that should help,” she added.

That thinking is leading to an increased demand for such operations in South Korea. Gangnam Unni data showed its users grew to about 2.6 million last year, an increase of 63 percent from a year earlier.

However, the pandemic made it nearly impossible to sell cosmetic services to foreign patients. As a result, the industry has tried to promote its services more to people in the country and nearby.

Promote means to make something more popular or well-known.

Cosmetic surgeons say patients are interested in operations on all parts of the face. Some want operations on parts of the face that are easily hidden under coverings, such as the nose and lips. But others want operations in places that face coverings do not hide.

Park Cheol-woo is a surgeon at WooAhIn Plastic Surgery Clinic. Park was responsible for Ryu’s operation.

“Both surgical and non-surgical inquiries about eyes, eyebrows, nose bridge and foreheads - the only visible parts - certainly increased,” Park said.

Surgeon Shin Sang-ho runs Krismas Plastic Surgery Clinic. Shin said many people have spent their emergency payment from the government at hospitals and surgical centers.

“I felt like it’s sort of a revenge spending. I’ve sensed that customers were expressing their pent-up emotions (from the coronavirus) by getting cosmetic procedures,” Shin said.

Pent-up emotions are feelings that have been held back or not expressed.

Government data shows that of about $13 billion in government payments, 10.6 percent was used in hospitals and drug stores. That was the third-largest area of spending behind supermarkets and restaurants. However, details of spending at hospitals were not provided.

A third wave of coronavirus remains a concern in South Korea as the country reports more daily cases. “We’ve seen growing numbers of cancellations...recently as people refrain more from going outside...” Park said. (VOA)

South Korea Agrees to Pay More for US Troops

WASHINGTON, LELEMUKU.COM -Officials signed a short-term agreement Sunday to boost South Korea’s contribution toward the upkeep of U.S. troops on the peninsula, after a previous deal lapsed amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for the South to pay more.

The new deal must still be approved by South Korea’s parliament, but it would boost its contribution to 1.03 trillion won ($890 million) from 960 billion won in 2018.

Unlike past agreements, which lasted for five years, this one is scheduled to expire in a year, potentially forcing both sides back to the bargaining table within months.

“It has been a very long process, but ultimately a very successful process,” South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters before another official from the foreign ministry initialed the agreement.

Domestic criticism

While acknowledging lingering domestic criticism of the new deal and the need for parliamentary approval, Kang said the response had “been positive so far.”

U.S. State Department senior adviser for security negotiations and agreements, Timothy Betts, met Kang before signing the agreement on behalf of the United States, and told reporters the money represented a small but important part of South Korea’s support for the alliance.

“The United States government realizes that South Korea does a lot for our alliance and for peace and stability in this region,” he said.

28,500 US troops

About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, where the United States has maintained a military presence since the 1950-53 Korean War.

The allies had struggled to reach a breakthrough despite 10 rounds of talks since March, amid Trump’s repeated calls for a sharp increase in South Korea’s contribution.

South Korean officials have said they had sought to limit its burden to $1 trillion won and make the accord valid for at least three years.

A senior South Korean ruling party legislator said last month that negotiations were deadlocked after the United States made a “sudden, unacceptable” demand that Seoul pay more than 1.4 trillion won per year.

But both sides worked to reach a deal to minimize the impact of the lapse on South Korean workers on U.S. military bases, and focus on nuclear talks ahead of a second U.S.-North Korea summit, Seoul officials said.

The disagreement had raised the prospect that Trump could decide to withdraw at least some troops from South Korea, as he has in other countries like Syria. But on Sunday, South Korean officials told Yonhap news agency that the United States had affirmed it would not be changing its troop presence.

Trump said in his annual State of the Union address to Congress he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam, following their unprecedented meeting in June in Singapore.

Military exercises suspended

After the June summit, Trump announced a halt to joint military exercises with South Korea, saying they were expensive and paid for mostly by the United States.

Major joint exercises have been suspended, but some small-scale drills have continued, earning rebukes from North Korea’s state media in recent months.

About 70 percent of South Korea’s contribution covers the salaries of some 8,700 South Korean employees who provide administrative, technical and other services for the U.S. military.

Late last year, the U.S. military warned Korean workers on its bases they might be put on leave from mid-April if no deal was agreed. (VOA)

Analysts: Seoul-Tokyo Diplomatic Rows Unlikely to Have Lasting Effect

SEOUL, LELEMUKU.COM - Relations between South Korea and Japan continue to sour as a pair of diplomatic disputes creates a renewed strain on bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo.

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, left, shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

However, analysts tell VOA that the crisis facing the East Asian nations stems from long-standing, unresolved issues that could ultimately affect how the countries interact on regional security issues.

Keeho Yang, a professor at the Department of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University, traces the current downward trend in bilateral ties to 2012, when then-President Lee Myung-bak visited Dok-do, a small set of islets also claimed by Japan and referred to as Takeshima.

“There have been no significant changes in the two countries’ relationship,” since then, he said. “It’s bad.”

Currently, both governments are embroiled in a tit-for-tat exchange over whether a South Korean naval vessel targeted a Japanese Self Defense Force fighter with fire-control radar last month and Seoul looking to seize the assets of Japanese companies following a recent court decision that requiring the firms to compensate forced laborers during World War II.

Dispute’s impact on regional issues

Despite the discussions taking place between Seoul and Tokyo to resolve the issue of asset seizure and military interactions, Yang doesn’t see the disputes affecting how the two governments communicate or work together to maintain regional security.

“The Japanese government endorsed the Panmunjom declaration. So two governments share the same view on denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Yang said.

The Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University’s Cho Jin-goo also agreed that Tokyo’s support for North Korea’s denuclearization is important, but if the current disagreements can’t be resolved in a relatively short period of time, it could affect larger issues.

“So the longer the dispute lasts, the worse the relationship [between Seoul and Tokyo] will get,” Cho said.

When you “look at what actually goes on between the two countries, economically, tourist-wise, militarily ... it doesn’t really change all that much. But it’s not as good as it should be,” said Grant Newsham, a senior research fellow with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. “Particularly on the military front.”

He sees the current cycle of good and bad relations between Seoul and Tokyo continuing for the foreseeable future.

Yang recommends both governments continue to work together to resolve the ongoing differences and for the leaders to meet to establish “forward-looking relations.”

Ongoing radar row

South Korea and Japan met in Singapore Monday to discuss a Dec. 20 incident involving a radar lock between a South Korean warship and a Japanese P-1 maritime patrol aircraft.

Seoul requested that Tokyo apologize for the aircraft flying low and possibly posing a threat against its vessel, which was on a humanitarian operation.

Japan disputes South Korea’s version of events, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Seoul to put in place procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

In addition, Japanese media reports that Tokyo’s defense ministry summoned the South Korean military attache to lodge a formal complaint and demanded a retraction of Seoul’s claim.

South Korea’s defense ministry said Japan failed in those talks to provide definitive evidence backing its claim.

“Japan did not disclose the radar frequency data that it has about our warship, which is a smoking gun, and instead only asked for information from South Korea. Such a demand is extremely rude and unacceptable,” said ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun Soo.

She further told reporters Tokyo’s request indicated a lack of desire on Japan’s part to resolve the matter.

Both sides are expected to continue to hold discussions on the matter. (VOA)