Miss Korea 2012 Dubbed ‘Miss Plastic’ by Netizens

by James on Thursday, July 26, 2012 104 comments comments

‘She’s beauty and she’s grace, she’s Miss plastic surgery’s face,’ or at least according to Korean netizens who were in their thousands to condemn 2012′s selection for the Miss Korea beauty pageant, Kim Yumi. Shortly after being crowned Korea’s beauty queen, photos from her school days emergered on the Internet, leading many to suggest she had most probably gone under the knife. These claims were later confirmed, when Kim Yumi openly admitted she wasn’t natural. At least she’s keen to face the fact her new face lost her face.

Before photos:

…and after:

Comments from Daum:

그해겨울:

If she’d come out with her own natural face, she would’ve never made it as far as the finals. Plastic surgery is, therefore, a clear infringement of rules, and she should be deprived of her rights to apply for the pageant.

qwfidjankl:

Just abolish this beauty pageant. It’s just a money-maker for the winners. It’s not like they enhance national glory or something.

빨간화살표:

Scrap the Miss Korea contest. It’s irritating.

moon:

Plastic surgery Korea… At first glance, I can tell she did every kind of surgery including a bimaxillary operation.

하늘바라기:

Miss Korea? That’s literally ANYONE’s game if you can endure massive plastic surgeries. The contest is more like ‘Mess [knife] Korea’ than ‘Miss Korea’. The winners have such fake faces…

나항상그대를♥:

Her ‘original face’ is too different from the ‘after-surgery face’. Her original features are more or less untraceable, yet she’s the winner. The judges must feel a bit lost for words too.

그댄다이져:

Frankly speaking, it’s problematic that they join the pageant after getting cosmetic surgery. Foreigners would scoff at it and say Korea is dominated by Lookism where people become beauties by having plastic surgery.

young:

Kim Yumi returning her crown and living quietly seems to be the best way to deal with this situation, yet I assume the association would turn it down since it doesn’t want to admit its own mistake…

바람의나라:

I wonder how much money she’s spent on her face. I’d rather show respect to the person who made her look this pretty when she was young.

DecayOfJustice:

If her natural state was just ‘normal’, then she wouldn’t have heard those harsh comments. She had such an ugly, unlikeable face with a hint of ‘Tibetan lady-in-waiting’. [referring to an extra actress known for a striking resemblance to a Tibetan fox]

폭주천사:

Broken reputation? Her reputation isn’t even built! The title of the contest should be ‘Miss artificial beauty’ or make a natural beauty contest separately.

오호라캐미야:

Now we’d better get plastic surgery during our primary school years… She should have done at least a double eyelid earlier he he he he he he he he he he he… then, it would have been less noticeable.

skanRns:

The crown should go to the plastic surgeon.

아일랜드:

How can you guys speak ill of the victory that is South Korean plastic surgery?That’s why its hard to have a hero in South Korea… if that picture was distributed in China and Japan…it’d attract about a million extra medical tourists a year. In a word, Miss Korea is ‘a goose with golden eggs.’ Has there ever been a Miss Korea who was as lucrative [for our country] as Kim Yumi is? Every other Miss Korea was busy being an entertainer…

얼마니:

She looks breathtakingly beautiful. Why can’t nature produce that level of beauty?

별의나그네:

I feel sick… feel like throwing up.

맥길대:

She wouldn’t have even won the ‘Miss pepper contest’ before surgery. The plastic surgeon is god, amen! ke ke ke

오벨리스크:

It should be mandatory to submit the contestants’ high school graduation photo albums.

wngml2080:

You can’t usually turn an ugly girl into a beauty pageant, yet Kim Yumi somehow became a completely different person. That level of transformation should be impossible without having extreme surgeries on the cheekbone and jaw. I’m not judging her for just having had plastic surgery though, I just think she went overboard to enroll in the beauty pageant. It would’ve been fine had she simply lived her life with her new pretty face. Her desire for the title was way over-the-top. How can she act like she’s the most beautiful woman in Korea with such a surgically altered face?

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somesojuslammer

Meme’s be gone!
Matt

I frankly don’t see what’s so heinous about plastic surgery. It is essentially the “Great Equalizer”—it gives ugly girls a chance to compete with pretty girls who had never “earned” their genetically blessed beauty in the first place.
- Snarl
  
  Exactly.
- http://twitter.com/lu_rodrigo Luiz Rodrigo
  
  I don’t see why is it bad to do surgery when everyone uses makeup. Same shit, in the end it’s all about looking good.
- Bruce Tutty
  
  obviously because it cheats all those that are naturally beautiful…..like drugs being used in the Olympics
  - Snarl
    
    You can choose whether or not to enter the Olympics. If you’re not a gifted athlete, then you find some other way to make your time valuable. You don’t choose to be born. This mentality that people have to be naturally beautiful is as backward as royal blood.
    - YouNeverKnow
      
      What you said right here kills your entire point “if youre not a gifted athlete, then find some other way to make your time valuable” same pertains to a beauty pagent if youre not “genetically blessed” then dont enter the beauty pagent, its like athletes on drug enhancements winning the Olympics, would it be right to say, well they’re just giving those who cant compete as well a chance…BS*… those who have plastic surgery obviously shouldn’t be in the same catergory as those who are “genetically blessed”.
      - Snarl
        
        What I was saying has nothing to do with beauty pageants. However, since you mention it, it would be interesting to have a “no-frills” beauty pageant. I’m sure it would be popular, but I would wager that the “everything goes” pageant would come out ahead. The Olympics is only a “no frills” competition because of the tradition and culture behind it. Would people be more interested in an “everything goes” international sporting competition? I think so. It ultimately doesn’t matter to most people why a person is the best; what really matters is that they are the best. But getting back to my earlier comment, people who libel women with cosmetic enhancements have backward mentalities–and frankly, I think complaining about it makes everyone’s life worse.
  - http://twitter.com/lu_rodrigo Luiz Rodrigo
    
    Studying is cheating on the born geniuses.
    - Lori
      
      Lol! PERFECT!!!
Ruaraidh

The thing about all these competitions is they attract a certain type of person to enter. I wouldn’t be surprised that if this Kim Yumi was pressed into returning her crown, the organisers wouldn’t be able find a non surgically altered runner-up to pass it on to.
k

i think the problem people have with people who get plastic surgery is that they are essentially lieing about their great genetics…..you want to pick someone who is attractive because of the good genes and you avoid making babies with less attractive people then you cause thats how nature works…but then you have people like this woman who is really a very average, plain peanut but who get so much surgery she looks like a wedding cake…..can you imagine being a man who met a woman like this, thought she was genuinely beautiful then when she has your first baby, it comes out looking extremely different then mommy. I think also people dislike the personalities that tend to gravitate towards plastic surgery as they often seem very vain and insecure and arrogant. It is also how you define beauty, many people dont think women who have had multiple surgeries should be called the true beauty because there isnt any natural beauty left and what the woman is displaying is a complete lie. Makeup is similar but surgery takes it to the next level…makeup washes off. Anyway Im pretty sure it is not just korean beauty queens who get surgery…altho this lady got a total face transformation which i dont think is normal.
- Brett Sanbon
  
  The girls who get plastic surgery really understand men. After every girl looks the same, boys will only have to focus on a girl’s personality. He will no longer wait in a panic to find out if his sogetting date really looks liker her picture. His eyes won’t check out every pair of legs that stroll by, preventing him from being thrusted into temptation. Girls who get surgery make it easier for men to be happy.
  
  This woman is a saint. Girls who get plastic surgery are pragmatic and considerate. Girls don’t get surgery for their own selfish reasons. They are always putting others’ needs in front of their own.
  
  I say, ‘plastic surgeries for everyone!’ Lets stop focusing on looks by being grateful about how someone doesn’t look anymore!!
  - h3ll
    
    Lol,I find this really funny,so according this, guys should do the same,getting killer abs like Siwon,fit and trimmed body and plenty of money ,ofc,face surgery as well. Every man should do this in order to make it easier to women pay attention to personality instead other issues ^^
    - Snarl
      
      You’ve got a problem with killer abs? And besides, who isn’t trying to get their hands on loads of money? There’s no code of chivalry in the rules of attraction. You are, or you’re not. And like everything that’s worth doing, it has more to do with your efforts and your abilities than your inheritance.
      - h3ll
        
        Of course I dont have any problem with killer abs,haha! Who does not like them?
        I think if a guy works out so hard to get them why not to show them? Also, I dont have any problem with people choosing plastic surgery to change or to enhance their features if that makes them happy(ofc genes inheritance will be the same). You clearly didnt get my comment and the previous one as well.
        ^^
      - Snarl
        
        Sigh… the subtleties of sarcasm in the crude medium of writing. It’s a wonder the internet ever evolved in the first place.
  - Jen
    
    You know, that’s what my father said. That eventually men will be forced to focus on personalities. But I don’t think so. If I understand men correctly, they will continue to chase girls who are the prettiest. So if the prettiest girl is plastic, they’ll just chase after her.
- bee
  
  That’s complete poop. When I see a hot guy, I NEVER think about the genetic beauty my children would have. Who the fuk is that idiotic? If someone told me, “Hey, you marry HotBoi over there, your children would be ugly as a troll” I seriously wouldn’t give a rats ass. Even beautiful people have ugly children, and ugly parents can have beautiful children. Or your child can be born malformed. You can’t guarantee your child’s beauty at all.
  I can’t believe there are idiots who want to find a “natural” beauty just so they can SUPPOSEDLY produce good looking children. hahah. Look at how ugly Alessandra Ambrosio’s baby is.
Stories of butts

They need to stop getting so butthurt about this. If they dislike the fact that she has plastic surgery then they really have to start boosting girls (and guys) self esteem on their natural face and whatnot. It shouldnt even be a big deal or shocker, I didnt even have to look at her before pics to be able to tell she got something done. They really expect that every actor/singer/model or whatever to be completely natural while looking the same?
Brett Sanbon

Get Kim Yuna in there. Shes the real jewel of Korea anyways.
바나나

I wouldn’t mind crowning her
If you catch my drift
- mr. wiener
  
  Since many Korean girls have plastic surgery anyway, I think she was just “representing” her Seoul Sisters.
  Nothing wrong with sucking on a bit of silicon either….in moderation of course.
Chucky3176

Tell me which beauty pageant contestant anywhere in the world, who don’t get any procedures done. On the other hand, she did go overboard. I would say she spent at least $50,000 on her face and body. That makeover was so extreme you cannot even recognize her. I read that she commented, she never said she was natural, and expected that someone would upload her old school pictures.
- John Holmes
  
  well that may be true, is the same everywhere. But frankling speaking, maybe i’m a bit naive, but i’ve never seen such degree of difference in other places, usually is just a bit more of breast, or a nose.. not a compleatly new face. However i’m surprised reading that, till now i’ve supposed that plastic surgey was extremely common in korea and that most of girls and boys were going to do it after 18..looking at netzien comment i could be wrong by far.
Ibby

Okay, anyone who’s surprised by this is just plain naive. EVERY beauty pageant contestant in Korea has probably had plastic surgery. Some just hide it better than others. In fact, I’m pretty sure most beauty pageant winners in EVERY country has had some work done. Plastic surgery was never against the rules, and nobody goes into that industry to promote “natural beauty”. Don’t be stupid.
Digitalsoju

Surprisingly she looks less plastic than I expected. I’ve seen a lot worse from people who did only a procedure or two. She must have had some good doctors lol
Eddie

This girl has nothing to be ashamed of. Society idolizes outer beauty. How many plain looking girls stay home dateless every weekend even though they have great personalities? You think anyone gives a shit about them? Of course not. She’s just playing on society’s own shallowness.
- Sojubang
  
  I agree, at the end of the day probably every bit of media you see tries to make people more attractive through everything from airbrushing/photoshopping to industry makeup artists and their tricks. So people go for the permanent solution to keep looking like that which is plastic surgery. Its just the ability to live up to the expectations set by society. If people really want and can afford surgery, then its their choice since its their body!
- Ruaraidh
  
  It always makes me laugh when people suggest that personality should be the only thing that matters. There are loads of girls I have a great laugh with, and I don’t feel any guilt over the fact that I wouldn’t get naked with most of them in a thousand years.
  
  I actually think society idolises ‘inner beauty’, telling people they are beautiful on the inside and it’s all right to eat another fistfull of cake, whilst blaming people who eat well and exercise for them being alone.
  
  The trap is people are lazy, and it’s much easier to convince yourself that your personality is awesome and everyone else is shallow, than it is to spend 5 hours a week sweating your nuts off lifting weights and running.
  
  Laziness is probably why this woman got plastic surgery. She’d probably have looked 100% better in face and body if she’d cut some fat and gained a little bit of muscle.
  
  The only thing this woman has to be ashamed of is laziness, and maybe a bit of hubris in thinking you can take a shortcut and then parade it in front of people.
  - http://twitter.com/lu_rodrigo Luiz Rodrigo
    
    Be beautiful the Hard Way ™
http://onethenatureofthings.net/forum Typhoon

Whether or not one agrees with the use of cosmetic surgery,
that’s an impressive display of the surgeon’s skill.
- galap
  
  Agree.. and those Korean plastic surgery clinics are opening all over China now..
- rainy days
  
  agree…
  korean plastic surgery is best surgery.
  Plz…Anybody, tell me…Where is that clinic?
Pingback: Korea Fun Links
hardyandtiny

we need more beauty pageants
Bri

She was far better looking before the surgery. Seriously.
- Chucky3176
  
  Yup, she looked better before the surgery. I don’t think the new look, looks very attractive. Some men like that look, I don’t. Her highschool pics show a plump adolescent girl who looks average. Without the surgery on her face and the liposuction on her entire body, she could have looked even attractive without doing all that expensive work, by losing some weight by exercising and good nutrition, and the good old makeup. Not only that, she could have saved a ton of money and used it for better things.
- Stories of butts
  
  Yeah I thought she was really cute and adorable before the surgery too.
Attaboy

The issue isn’t really the one girl in a beauty pageant. The problem is that millions of Korean girls are told they are ugly if they look Korean, even by their own mothers. I don’t understand how that level of self-hate can exist in such a nationalistic and homogenous society.
- Shawna
  
  That is how I feel. And I’m not against getting a little work done. I feel the only problem is that Korean girls don’t want to look Korean anymore. Kim Yumi looks fine now, but she also looked fine before. She had pretty Korean eyes, but most girls want to have Western features. She wasn’t correcting anything, just changing.
  My native Korean boyfriend, despite agreeing with me on these issues, still gives me a weird look when I say how beautiful someone like CL is over Dara (or Bom. Dara of course has the natural version of what Bom tried to do). I told him it’s mainly because she looks like everyone else to me, and CL or Minzy is very refreshing to see in the Korean celebrity world.
bultak

This just in! A a good smile makes your face look better.
bultak

This just in… If you smile, your face will look a lot better. Try it sometime.
Chucky3176

My opinion, the most natural attractive Korean looking face goes to Bae Suzi of Miss-A.

http://static.allkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/20110820_suzy_hyemi_dreamhigh.jpg

Notice I said “Korean looking face”, not the artificially made V line faces with big rounded eyes.
- 바나나
  
  SUZY IS MY #1
- h3ll
  
  Bae Suzi indeed looks fresh yet modern natural korean look. I was thinking in Lee Chung Ah, since 2004 she hasnt changed a lot,she just looks slimmer and mature with her same natural pretty facial features. The deceased Jung Da Bin was also a really natural beauty.
- FYIADragoon
  
  If Kang Jiyoung didn’t have that granny chin, I’d give her the nod for most attractive natural beauty.
- FYIADragoon
  
  Jaw was what I meant to say, not chin.
k

Really Chucky? Natural Korean face on that girl? lol.
- Chucky3176
  
  Yes really. She’s a natural beauty and her pictures from childhood reveals no noticeable changes. In a society where every Korean celebrities get their childhood pictures posted online, and netizens pour over the pictures to see who got it done or not, you cannot fool people. Furthermore, Korean celebrities are pretty honest about any cosmetic surgeries they’ve done – unlike Hollywood stars who would lie through their teeth.
  
  I know you’re pretty jealous of K-Girls and the attention they get. But you shouldn’t be. It shows though.
  - Paul
    
    They do plastic surgery on kids here too.
  - k
    
    Yah Chucky, totally jealous of the attention and comments this Korean woman is getting for her lovely fake face. And the girl in those pics you put up has had plastic surgery, at least double eyelid surgery. She may not have had a total facial reconstruction like Miss Korea, but she’s had her eyes and nose done. I really don’t think there is a Korean celebrity, man or woman, who hasn’t had some plastic surgery. They may be naturally attractive people, with pleasant faces to begin with, but they all have had work done. And no Korean celebs are no more honest about PS then any other celebrity out there…..they lie about what they have done too, so stop putting Koreans and Korean celebs on some kind of pedastool. Anyway, notice how I’m arguing with you without attacking you or accusing you of things on a personal level? You know why I don’t accuse you of anything? Like say being a typical nationalistic idiot Korean, because I don’t know if that is true, because I have no idea who you are. You have no idea who I am or any of my experiences. But I suspect any post from here on from you will contain some personal jab, oh well. Chucky I just disagree with you, no more, no less. Stop being so damn defensive.
    - chucky3176
      
      Right K. Double eye lid surgery when she has no double eye lids??
      
      http://star.koreandrama.org/?p=5039
      
      Let me ask you this then. Do you have anything else to say about Korean women, other then all the negative stuff that you usually eagerly jump in with, painting them off as stupid, plastic surgeried animals? What happened in the past? You lost your boyfriend to a Korean girl? Having experienced knowing white girls myself, I don’t think you’re all any better at all.
      - k
        
        First, I don’t think most Korean women are stupid at all in anway, I happen to think Koreans are some of the most intelligent people I have ever met. My mother in law, sister in law, niece, and daughter are all Korean. I’ve never called Korean people stupid….my husband and daughter are Korean. Secondly, no Korean girl “stole” my man….I’m married to a KOREAN man and actually stole him from a Korean woman in college. Thirdly, the only thing I’ve ever discussed about Korean women is the plastic surgery culture in Korea. You can get defensive all you want, but a large amount of young women in Korea have had some plastic surgery. Mostly being the double eye lid. Look man, say whatever you want, think whatever you want about foreigners and white girls, but you should look at how you sound also before jumping on someone else’s balls.
      - DK420
        
        Hey K .. you don’t have to explain anything .. hey Chucky why do you have to get all personal? Have some manners dude.
    - Sillian
      
      Hahah, Kate. I can’t even. I didn’t know you were this much. I’ve noticed that you are trying to ‘patent’ certain looks as Western. I have even seen some delusional Westerners who thought Koreans or Asians don’t have natural eyelid creases. ‘Double eyelids’ = Western-looking mantra. You are not one of them, are you? Millions of Koreans have natural eyelid creases. It’s funny that I even have to point this out. The crease can be very apparent and thick or it can be very thin that you can only see it clearly when the eye is in certain conditions or with eyelash curling. More people than I thought seem to have a very poor understanding of Asian phenotypes. You believe what you want to believe but if you go that far, nobody who actually knows their stuff will take you seriously. It’s getting ridiculous, honestly.
      
      So Kate, where do you base your assertion that Miss A’s Bae Suzy has her eyes and nose done? Nothing? There are loads of her childhood and pre-debut pictures. Go ahead and check them out. You are waging a losing campaign.
      
      The 2nd place Miss Korea Lee Jung-bin looks pretty much natural. Take the makeup into account. Her past pictures have been revealed, too. If she was chosen in the 1st place, there wouldn’t have been all this buzz.
      - Kate
        
        Ok, first let me point out this article was forever and a day ago, I just happened to see you reply to me on the side bar.
        
        Yes Sillian, I do know asians have double eye lid crease and that is not exclusively a whitey/blackey/non asian trait. I also know that Koreans have the lowest percentage of that trait, I read that only around 20% of Koreans are born with an eyelid crease, the lowest percentage out of all the other asian groups. Now, I base this on personal experience. I taught at a school in Korea with about 150 Korean children, who obvisously had no plastic surgery, they were children. NOT ONE SINGLE CHILD HAD DOUBLE EYE LID CREASE. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT. I saw these kids every day for hours on end, not one child had even a small eyelid crease, they were all monolid. Beautiful kids, but they weren’t born with double eyelid creases. In fact, I don’t think ever seen a Korean child with double eyelids, except my own child, who is half white, which is why she has them. However, I have seem plenty of Chinese with this trait. Koreans, not so much.
        
        No, white people features are not “patent”, although us white people have very distinct racial features that makes us look white and not non white. White people have angular faces, big double eyelids, sharp big noses. Those aren’t exclusively white, but the majority of whites, yes. Those are not asian traits, if they were then asians would not be asians. They’d look like whitey. Which is why so often people accuse plastic surgery asians of trying to look white. I however, don’t think they want to look white, I think they want to look mixed between white/asian. The euroasian look.
        
        Yes, I sincerely believe that eyelid surgery is as norm as getting a coffee in Korea. It’s advertised everywhere and for cheap, which means it’s a popular surgery and there is a lot of competition among surgeons for clients., hell I can’t even go on the Korean interwebs without plastic surgery ads popping in my face for Korean plastic surgery. They are every where. So, is it MY fault for assuming that most Koreans with double eyelid crease are the result of plastic surgery or is it Korean’s fault for promoting it so heavily as something that is “normal and necessary”? LIke I’ve said before, koreans bring their plastic reputation on themselves.
        
        As far as the chick in the picture, Bae Suzy, I said what I said based on an interview she gave in which she admitted to plastic surgery. http://kpopfever.com/2011/11/miss-a-suzy-confirms-had-plastic-surgery/ But of course, read later that she recanted that and said she only got her teeth done, whether that is true or not, who knows. Like I said, this is an old article.
        
        You can call me ridiculous and I can call you delusional and in denial. But I enjoy a good argument.
        
        As far as the pics, yeah that girl does look far more natural and IMO, would of been a better choice. But is that who Korea picked to represent them? No. They picked the extensively surgeried, plastic barbie doll to represent Korean beauty in a world pageant. So who brought this uproar? Koreans did. Who chose a completely fake, plastic barbie doll over a more natural Korean beauty? Koreans did. So what does that tell you about Korean society’s perception of what is beautiful? It isn’t foreigners who hate Korean looks, it’s Koreans who hate their faces more then anyone.
        
        Now, cue in Chucky to see this on the side bar and it starts all over again.
        
        This is the last time I say anything about Koreans and plastic surgery, I am so sick of arguing about this….., although before you pick on me, how about scrolling up and reading what the other people said? It’s pretty much what I said.
      - Sillian
        
        Kate, this is an old article but I found it through the recent comment side bar. This plastic surgery discussion can be either tiresome or interesting, depending on the quality of comments. I might have gone a bit hard on you here but let me tell you that the following remark baffled me.
        
        “I really don’t think there is a Korean celebrity, man or woman, who hasn’t had some plastic surgery.”
        
        I assumed you literally meant it. I have to ask you this. Do you broadly count every dermatological and dental treatment that changes one’s appearance in any way as ‘plastic surgery’? If so, you are probably right but there is no merit in such statement.
        
        As to the speculation on Bae Suzy, I notice you at least tried Googling articles. What about photos? I watched the very show and she did not ‘recant’ anything. It was like guess-what teasing. She did not even mention the word ‘plastic surgery’. It’s a good old tactic for tabloid media to make titles like that to draw attention. Unless you count her dental job as plastic surgery, you have to admit your assertion is baseless.
        
        I do know eyelid surgery is taken very lightly in Korea. I’m just making it clear that natural eyelid creases do exist among Koreans and it is not as rare as you make it out to be. I agree that Eurasian look is considered attractive in Korea or Asia in general. However, you might often hear Korean girls picking monolids or at least inner double eyelids as one of the ideal features for their guy whereas they want double eyelids on themselves. A large number of Korean male top stars have monolids. Rain and a whole mess of male K-pop stars, Lee Jun Ki, Gong Yoo, Kwon Sang Woo, So Ji Sub, Ji Hyun Woo, Kim Soo Hyun, Ha Jung Woo, Yoon Shi Yoon, just to name a few. Something to ponder about.
        
        I find your personal anecdotes tend to be on the extreme side, honestly. Are you claiming not a single kid out of 150 had any slight hint of an eyelid crease? Did you really pay attention to their eyelids one by one? The majority of the kids are supposed to have monolids and the ones who do not usually have thin creases. There is a variety of eyelid types. In some cases, the creases are apparent only when they stare up or they are tired or after they just wake up from sleep. Hardly visible eyelid creases can also get deeper as you grow up or get older as the fat layer becomes thinner. Some people have a crease only on one side. Also, the so-called inner double eyelids are common among Koreans. It happens when the crease is covered by the outermost eyelid skin.
        
        Check out the attached photos of Kim Yuna. Many people think she has plain monolids but her eyelids are not completely flat. You can observe thin creases in some photos. The other picture shows an example of inner double eyelids. I think many natural Korean double eyelids belong to this type.
      - fil-americanboy
        
        Yeah lee jung bin was a cutie when she was younger and looks great now. She’s one of my favorites because I met her in person
Julia

Am I the only one who kinda feels sorry for a girl who went through all those procedures to get a face that society finds beautiful and then probably defines her existence by a title of beauty? I mean, yes, her new face is incredibly beautiful, but somehow, this seems a little sad.
- Umm
  
  I feel horrible for her. Everyone always says “well, if plastic surgery makes them happy, who are you to judge?”
  But here’s my question.. Are they happy? Isn’t it the same as money? If you’re not happy without it, you’re not going to be happy with it.
  The problem I have with plastic surgery is that it covers up insecurities and feelings of inadequacy instead of helping people deal with their problems.
  My personal opinion is that her new face is incredibly average and you can see from first glance that she’s plastic.
- lila
  
  I feel bad for her too. Plus almost every korean girl i know has had plastic surgery. I practically had to fight to NOT get plastic surgery. This girl just did what everybody else was doing and now she is ostracized for it. The whole thing is sad. Especially the fact that the Korean culture worships plastic surgery and then condemns the ones who get it.
- Guest
  
  I agree this is kinda blown out of proportion and sad. I don’t really care that she had plastic surgery. Ya’ll know that if she
  entered the pageant looking like her old self, everyone would’ve bashed
  her for not being “pretty” enough so she can’t get a break either way. I
  feel bad that people had to harass her and bring up old photos of her :
  ( There are worse things a person can do. And let’s also not forget that women (and men) all over the world get plastic surgery, cosmetic enhancements…botox,
  injections, breast augmentation, liposuction…not just in Korea and
  not just Korean pageants. Look at Hollywood! Why do most actors,
  actresses, and celebrities go under the knife?? To remain youthful and prolong their careers. Is it a crime that this girl wanted the same??
FYIADragoon

I’d hit that so hard that whoever pulled me out would be the next King of England.
Paul

Korea should have a plastic surgeon of the year award.
AmericanBoy

Her plastic surgeon actually did a good job, though she wasn’t ‘ugly’ to begin with. Still, there’s nothing special about Kim Yumi, well looks-wise. She’ll fade into the crowd at the Miss Universe pageant.
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lulz

Kim Yumi? More like Kim YUMMY, am I right?
lonetrey

I might just be bad at telling the difference apart from the old picture and new ones, or the old pictures could just be in such bad condition that no one can see the similarities.

Why do I feel like her plastic surgery doesn’t really show as much as her new hairstyle + new makeup? She could’ve probably pulled off something similar in her highschool if she had dyed her hair, used that same style/form, and apply lipstick. -_-
- Eddie
  
  Exactly, has people ever seen the pictures out there about an apparently hot asian girl that in reality is a chinese boy.
  
  make up makes miracles.
jwe

Not gonna comment on the girl’s choices, but man is that plastic surgeon deserving of a huge award.
hardyandtiny

she doesn’t seem to have had much done to her face
Daniel

I wonder if she has any idea how much her face is going to hurt in about twenty years when the weather changes? I broke my collar bone at 16 in a motorcycle accident and in my late thirties it started hurting everytime the weather changes…especially that harsh switch from summer to fall and fall to winter…

I cannot wait til all these girls with this surgery get older and are walking around holding their jaws moaning in pain^^
http://ethlenn.blogspot.com/ Ethlenn

Koreans contradict themselves. From the one side – girls do plastic surgery to look more “Western”, from another – real “Westerners” are demons from the deepest circles of hell who seduce pure, innocent (non-plastic that is) Korean women and disrupt the otherwise smooth society.
Self-hatred and admiration for “Western” ideals is mixed with nationalism and xenophobia.
Amazing country.
Eddie

what’s the big deal? she wasn’t ugly, I have seen uglier people do extreme make up and end up looking really good in pictures.

If we compared all the pictures of before and after, there’s a lot of people looking better now than before.

Btw I didn’t say she was natural or something, but for me it’s nothing shocking.
runningduckyliciousrub

i had people say that they see so many pretty koreans on tv but they are all so ugly in real life. like where they at? ya know? i think plastic surgery is absolutely disgusting its just a symptom of a greater problem. its simply a collective action problem. noone wants to be the loser and be natural so everyone gets plastic surgery and makes the standards so high that it makes it hard for everybody. this society is going to pieces it just shows the competitive and hierarchical logic that is so pervasive in this hell like society which i should remind you has the highest suicide rate in the world.

there is just something ingenuous about it and sinister at the same time..spiritually dead
eventualy korean families will look like this
http://9gag.com/gag/4089731
TK

who cares how she got there. it’s the end result that counts. if it wasn’t her that won, it would have been another girl that got plastic surgery that would have won. she’s beautiful. stop being jealous. jealous people say shit like, “he’s rich only because he inherited the money” “she’s only pretty because she got her face done.” no matter how much shit you talk, they’re still going to be rich and beautiful.. while, you’ll stay a troll.
- http://twitter.com/linadurango linadurango
  
  she was (and still is) not pretty. and she knows it, so much plastic surgery was performed.And remember, you can change your face but not your genes.
  - http://www.facebook.com/noah.altman Noah Altman
    
    On the one hand, there’s your opinion, which you’re entitled to. And on the other hand, there’s empirical evidence, which is that she is high in demand because of her looks. She’s even paid for her looks. That basically makes her a professional pretty girl. So I would say, of course she’s pretty. Her kids might not be so pretty though.
    - http://www.facebook.com/wkcho William Cho
      
      Or the kids can get surgery when they grow up if they think its worth it. Either everyone acts as if looks don’t matter and truly not take looks into consideration of anything or we should say its find to do whatever you want to look good.
      - http://www.facebook.com/noah.altman Noah Altman
        
        There you go, excellent point. Either appearances matter or they don’t–and if they matter, it’s only fair for people to do something about it, rather than resign to the fate they were born with.
http://twitter.com/tippini Tiffini

“Frankly speaking, it’s problematic that they join the pageant after getting cosmetic surgery. Foreigners would scoff at it and say Korea is dominated by Lookism where people become beauties by having plastic surgery.”
Don’t foreigners think this already? Look at kpop. I’ve never seen so many stars who are already stars, change their faces so drastically and at such a young age, while in the middle of their career. It’s so sad that more emphasis is placed on the outside than in. The look before the talent….
http://twitter.com/Sul_Li Sae

um who cares? i’ve seen old contestants from brazil, usa, thailand, france, mexcio, greece, italy, they did plastic surgery, so why cant miss korea?
eamaij

NO COMMENT………
Jennster

her new face doesn’t even look unnatural or anything. powerful surgeons…
Dan

Man so making her face thinner was fine but the double eyelid? That surgery is just fuckin gross! I prefer the natural eyes. I teach high school and see quite a few cute girls who arent corrupted by surgery.
howdoimakeacount

beauty pageants are by nature vapid and superficial. i don’t see why people are complaining about plastic surgery
dk2020

I like that she was honest and admitted to having PS .. She definitely still looks Korean and can represent because she’s cute. If you didn’t know PS is common and pretty rampant in beauty pageants anywhere ..
- Sillian
  
  If she didn’t have ps tho, who would you prefer to win between her and the second place girl Lee jung bin who’s known to be natural? I dunno how i’m supposed to judge. It doesn’t seem like there’s any explicit rules on ps in the pageant…
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joe-Bee/100003026794918 Joe Bee

She was a heck of a LOT PRETTIER natural back in her school photos. Now she just looks like a carbon copy of every other plastic surgery korean celebrity with pounds of makeup. Why can’t Koreans SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE NATURALLY. Sickening.
tfgd

In first glance, she looks like Park Min Young…
luchana12

a bunch of haters so what if she had surgery its her body… K- Netzeins are such haters
fil-americanboy

She was cute before plastic surgery. I would have wifed her up even without the surgery. She looks good too with the surgery. On my last trip to South Korea, I’ve seen many people that had plastic surgery. Shouldn’t condemn her, but since she knows that her new beauty isn’t natural she shouldn’t compete.
darkking

I think, the korea girls and boys mostly not beutifull. All just plastic surgery make they look beautifull kehkehkeh!!
http://www.facebook.com/xtine.barton Tine Barton

The woman is hot, everyone should just shut up! She worked hard to get that rockin’ body and if she wants a prettier face and can afford it, she has every right to have it. don’t be insecure just because her ass cheeks are far prettier than your faces.
han

I don’t understand what the big deal is, I mean if you’re not born with a beautiful face it’s not really your fault but still you’re doomed, and people with natural beautiful faces are apparently just the lucky ones who get praises from society for their beauty. If feel like people who are mad about the plastic surgery just want to feel better about themselves by saying: Oh she may have won, but it’s because of plastic surgury so it doesn’t count. Who are you trying to fool, she IS beautiful, and she was brave enough to have a dream and go after it. If someone has natural overweigh but goes on a diet or exercises and gets a great body no one will say: but that not his/her natural weight so he/she is a phony. Yet the minute someone brings up plasitc surgery it becomes a big deal, people have to get over the taboo.
dk2020

The US is 1st in total number of cosmetic procedures performed.. Korea is 7th ..
Italy ranks 1st in surgeries per capita, Korea is 3rd ..

It’s been almost three years since Drs. Troy and McNamara hung up their scalpels, yet the plastic surgery craze is showing no signs of slowing down.

According to a recent study conducted by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, nearly 15 million cosmetic procedures were performed across the world in 2011. The third annual report, entitled “Global Study of Aesthetic/Cosmetic Surgery Procedures Performed in 2011,” surveyed licensed surgeons from various nations and combined that data with surgeon estimates provided by each country’s surgery board to provide a glimpse into the frequency of such procedures worldwide.

The results revealed some interesting trends in aesthetic preferences as well as various health issues. For example, the United States unsurprisingly ranked first among countries performing breast augmentations, while three Asian countries — China, Japan, and South Korea — ranked in the top-five countries performing rhinoplasties (nose jobs).

And while Botox injections remained the top non-surgical procedure performed worldwide — reflecting a universal desire to fight the effects of aging — the top surgical procedure overall was lipoplasty, which is becoming ever-more popular ascountries battle the increasingly dire obesity epidemic.

Furthermore, the Economist noted that the study’s findings may be somewhat unexpected when taking into account total population. While the U.S. ranked first in total number of cosmetic procedures performed, for example, the country actually ranked fourth in procedures per capita, behind South Korea, Greece, and Italy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/31/top-plastic-surgery-countries-world_n_2590757.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009#slide=2008416
- http://www.youtube.com/user/VictimOfBoredom Matt
  
  http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full-width/images/2013/01/blogs/graphic-detail/20130202_woc880_0.png
  - ChuckRamone
    
    Did you ever see the Vice episode where they visit South Korea and they check out plastic surgery clinics? One of the patients was Chinese. A lot of plastic surgery tourism happens in South Korea. People from all the surrounding countries go there to get procedures, and it drives up the numbers for the country itself. But I’m not saying a lot of South Koreans don’t get surgery.
    - http://www.koreabang.com/ James Pearson
      
      http://www.koreabang.com/2012/features/interview-fashion-week-internationale-comes-to-seoul.html
  - chucky3176
    
    Ranks from 1 to 5, not much difference. By the sounds of how everyone talks about it, you would think 100% of Koreans got surgery done just by listening to everyone. But instead, it’s only 13 procedures out of 1000 people. Which would make it the rate of 1.35%. Compare that to America, where it’s 1%. So Korea and America has a difference of 0.35% – big freaking deal!
    
    And this study doesn’t count two important factors.
    
    One: it doesn’t count multiple people doing multiple procedures,
    
    and Two: Japanese, Chinese, SEA foreigners in Korea who make up a third of the plastic surgery patients in South Korea.
    
    So Matt, this study kinda blows up in the faces of those anti Korean online people from Japan and China. Nice try.
    - http://www.youtube.com/user/VictimOfBoredom Matt
      
      I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said.
      
      I was just correcting dk2020′s comment.
      
      I personally don’t have any problem with plastic surgery. Beauty is all about physical appearance, and it’s not any less valid just because it’s not encoded in someone’s DNA. By that logic, a healthy diet and exercise would also be “cheating” since they also give someone an edge over others despite having no genetic basis that would be passed onto the offspring’s appearance.
  - Eidolon
    
    Matt, you two are saying the same thing. He’s talking about the US being 1st in the total amount of procedures done. But obviously the US is a lot bigger than Korea. The last sentence in his post talks about the per capita rate. ‘While the US ranked first in total number of cosmetic procedures performed, for example, the country actually ranked fourth in procedures per capita, behind South Korea, Greece, and Italy’ and links to your chart.
    
    I personally don’t care about plastic surgery, either. The furor over it is a typical netizen dysfunctionalism, filled with nationalism, ignorance and wrangling over ‘face’ – literally, in this case. To understand its source you have to look at a multitude of factors: on one hand the ‘beauty envy’ from Chinese/Japanese/Western netizens generated by the popularity of K-pop and its ‘picture perfect’ stars, on the other the ‘ethnic vanity’ it produced in Korean netizens, who flaunt it as a case of Korean racial superiority.
    
    In both cases, the petty mindedness of Asian nationalism shows through and enjoins the shallowness of all involved.
gogogogo6346345454@hotmail.com

This is my messege for the ladies:” Beauty is skin deep and plastic surgery isn’t any handbag. Aging is natural beauty that plastic surgery takes, and as time progress, it becomes obviously a face like disposable plastic bags. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, love ones such as one’s family and not some conspicious portrait seem in glossy Fashion Magazines and tv shows.” ” one don’t have to be perfect to be pretty, pretty does’nt mean one has a good heart does it or any smarter. It isn’t about whos right or wrong, its not some culture but procedure, method to become more acttractive or become uglier or unpleasant.”