South
Korea is experiencing a decline in cosmetic surgery demand after a four-minute
news report by state-run news agency China Central Television earlier this year
exposed a case of a tourist from China being overcharged by a cosmetic surgery
clinic in Gangnam, Seoul.
CCTV
claimed that Chinese clients are usually charged 2 to 10 times more than
locals, eventually causing them to stop seeking surgery in the country,
according to the Korea Herald.
Based on
Ministry of Health and Welfare records, more than 36,000 foreigners underwent
cosmetic surgeries in Korea in 2014. More than half of those foreigners (56
percent) opted to received treatment in Gangnam-based clinics. However, in
2015, the figure plunged 40 percent to 12,000 patients.
While
most clinic owners claim that the sudden drop is due to the outbreak of
respiratory syndrome in Middle East in 2015, experts say it is because of
customers' dissatisfaction. One woman who refused to be identified also cited
overcharging, unqualified surgeons performing the operation, and communication
barriers that cause customers to fall into the hands of illegal brokers.
Experts
pointed to South Korea's lax rules for medical practitioners. "There is
currently no regulation or standard that supervises or checks the status of
facilities and equipment at private clinics," Kwon Young-dae, director of
public relations for the Korean Board of Plastic Surgeons told The Korea
Herald.
Also, an
official from the government-run Gangnam Medical Tour Center said they
"cannot fully guarantee that all cosmetic clinics we are partnered with
operate surgeries under certified doctors. It is actually difficult to monitor
all of them."
The South
Korean government, on the other hand, committed to take necessary actions to
support foreign patients undergoing procedures in Korea and allowing them to
reclaim 10 percent of value-added taxes. It will also cap the commissions
agents can charge to avoid illegal brokers from influencing the fixed cost of
the surgery.
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