K-pop Beauty Factory: Stars at a Cost

K-pop is a $10billion industry where nothing less than complete perfection is demanded from its stars.

Those desperate enough to try to make it as a K-pop idol can spend years training at notoriously strict Korean record labels, where they learn everything from singing, dancing, multiple foreign languages, and even how to take the perfect selfie.

While talent is certainly an important factor in becoming a chart-topping K-pop superstar, it comes second to beauty.

Double eyelids, a high nose bridge, pale skin, a V-shaped jaw and a small face are just some of the physical features that are lauded in South Korea – and there are countless Korean celebrities who will do anything to fit the mold.

South Korea now boasts the highest rates of plastic surgery in the world with one in five women going under the knife, so it's no surprise that many of K-pop's biggest stars have been tweaked and refined.

The country has also become a major hotspot for medical tourism, with foreign fans travelling from Thailand, China, and even the United States for surgery inspired by their favorite Korean stars.

K-pop is a $10billion industry where complete perfection is expected from its stars. (Pictured: Momoland perform in Seoul, South Korea, on November 17, 2020)

South Korean surgery is now so popular that it's even started to influence the West, with aesthetic specialists flocking to the country to learn all about the country's cutting-edge procedures.

Registered nurse and cosmetic injector Alex Pike traveled from Melbourne, Australia, to Seoul in 2024 to train in advanced laser and salmon DNA treatments at the headquarters of Korean skincare brand Rejuran.

'I met with leading surgeons, including Dr. Hyun Jun Park, who operates on many K-pop stars and has built a large international following,' Pike told the Daily Mail.

'One thing that sets Korea apart from the rest of the world when it comes to aesthetics is the culture. There's no stigma around aesthetic treatments,' she added.

'Patients walk proudly with visible Rejuran bumps or fresh post-surgical dressings without shame. It's viewed as self-maintenance, which creates a very open and normalized environment around cosmetic enhancements.'

Pike also praised Korean surgeons for their 'technical precision' and 'constant innovation'.

The Daily Mail takes a look at some of K-pop's most incredible transformations below.

One of K-pop's most extreme makeovers belongs to Jessica 'Jessi' Ho. 

Double eyelids, a high nose bridge, pale skin, a V-shaped jaw and a small face are just some of the physical features that are lauded in South Korea

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While most Korean stars are coy when it comes to confessing their nips and tucks, New York-born rapper Jessi has been refreshingly candid about her procedures. 

Over the years, the 37-year-old has admitted to getting breast implants, a nose job, and her eyes done, along with Botox and fillers. 

In an interview on the Apple TV+ docuseries K-pop Idols, the Gucci hitmaker said that she actually became even more obsessed with her appearance after getting her first nose job. 

'I started seeing all the flaws in my face, and that's when I started tweaking s**t. So, before that, I wasn't insecure. I started getting insecure after I got surgery, and that's when I got out of control,' she said.

'First time I had the lip injections, I liked. It was a good size. And then I started overdoing it.

'I believe enhancing yourself is fine. When you wanna do it, and someone’s forcing you to do it, it’s completely different. You have to know your limit, you know? And it’s really hard, to be honest, because once you start getting procedures done, little by little, you just keep finding flaws in yourself and it’s really hard to control.'

Korean-American rapper Jessi has admitted to getting breast implants, a nose job, and her eyes done, along with Botox and fillers

Another K-pop star who has admitted to surgery is Jung Chaeyeon, who got her nose done and lost almost 40lbs (18kg or nearly 3st) to make it as a K-pop idol.

The singer, now 28, had already undergone a nose job when she debuted in the girl group DIA in 2015, when she was just 17. 

Although the group barely made a dent in the charts, Chaeyeon quickly became famous for her beauty and was able to find success outside of music as an actress.

Her good looks also led to a string of lucrative endorsement deals with brands like Jill Stuart, Burger King, New Balance, Cartier, Miu Miu and more.

Chaeyeon discussed her makeover in a 2016 interview on the Korean talk show Video Star after the hosts confronted her with a chubby childhood photo of herself, before grilling her about how much she'd changed.

Looking at one image from middle school, Chaeyeon said, 'I was obese then. I was 64 kilograms (143lbs). I'm now 48 kilograms (106lbs).'

Girl group star and actress Jung Chaeyeon got her nose done and lost almost 40lbs to make it as a K-pop idol

Much like Chaeyeon, JooE from the girl group MOMOLAND also had her nose done before officially debuting. 

The performer, now 26, admitted to getting a rhinoplasty when she was still in ninth grade, adding that the surgeon used cartilage from her ear to shape her new nose. 

While she has only ever admitted to having her nose done, she is virtually unrecognizable these days compared to when she first debuted, leading fans to speculate that she may have had more work done.

JooE's appearance has been scrutinized since MOMOLAND's breakout hit Bboom Bboom topped the charts in 2018, with Korean netizens frequently disparaging her looks and even accusing her of overediting her social media posts.

Addressing the criticism in a previous interview, JooE said, 'At first, when they said that my photos look better than I do, it hurt. But I think it’s good that it was also an opportunity to get MOMOLAND on the radar.'

She added, 'Those around me worried more than I did, actually.

'Of course, it’s hard on me too, but I wouldn’t have picked this career if I thought I wouldn’t be able to overcome these things.' 

MOMOLAND singer JooE is totally unrecognizable these days compared to her early career 

Given how competitive the K-pop scene is, it's no surprise that some South Korean entertainment companies can pressure their trainees to go under the knife.

That's what happened to Serri, now 35, who was 19 when she debuted in the girl group Dal Shabet back in 2011.

After the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2018, Serri confessed that she'd been urged to get a boob job by someone at her former record label. 

'Before I debuted, my agency at that time asked me to get breast augmentation,' she said in a YouTube video (translated by allkpop).

'I personally did not want to do it. At the time I thought, "I'm not very bad-looking and still very young, why should I need this?" 

'They told me that by getting a breast augmentation I'd be able to get more attention in the entertainment industry. They said it would help my life in the industry in many ways.'

Serri later went under the knife again for a nose job, as her nose was naturally pinched and thin, which had led some people to liken her to Michael Jackson.

'I actually got a nose job. I never liked how my nose looked. I have been made fun of because of my nose a lot of times in the past as well,' she said.

Dal Shabet's Serri was pressured by her record label to get a boob job before she debuted

Plastic surgery isn't just for the female K-pop idols, with countless boy band members also going under the knife.

One of K-pop's most famous surgical makeovers is ZE:A's Hwang Kwanghee, who completely transformed himself through multiple facial procedures while he was still in high school.

His work has included a nose job, double eyelid surgery, and both a forehead and chin augmentation. 

While most K-pop stars keep quiet about their procedures, Kwanghee proudly spilled every detail of his surgical makeover shortly after ZE:A debuted in 2010.

He later revealed that it was his mother who encouraged him to get work done so that he could make it in the entertainment industry.

'I wanted to debut as a celebrity, but my looks weren't good enough,' he shared on KBS' Love on the Air.

'When I was a trainee, other people went to meetings for commercials, but I never did. My mom told me, "Kwanghee, if you want to be an idol, you have to get plastic surgery," and she got it for me.'

Although ZE:A's music never took off, Kwanghee's candor made him the breakout star of the group and even led to a major endorsement deal with a plastic surgery clinic.

One of K-pop's most famous surgical makeovers is ZE:A's Hwang Kwanghee, who completely transformed himself through multiple facial procedures while he was still in high school

While the majority of K-pop stars have had successful surgical enhancements, some have been known to take it too far.

One of the most infamous cases of a K-pop star becoming unrecognizable is Park Bom, who first shot to fame in 2009 as part of the legendary girl group 2NE1.  

The singer has long been accused of turning to surgery to enhance her looks, and she finally admitted to it in December in a bizarre, rambling post on social media. 

Bom confessed to paying for her own procedures during her time at former label YG Entertainment because she didn't want to 'go on stage looking like a commoner', according to Korean outlet Chosun.

She had previously denied going under the knife, and at one point even blamed the extreme changes in her appearance on weight gain.

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rian Maercks, who is based in Miami, says that U.S. market is starting to feel the influence of global beauty trends, including from South Korea. 

'Aesthetics is global now, and surgeons everywhere feel the effects of patient demand,' he told Daily Mail. 

Park Bom of the legendary girl group 2NE1 admitted to getting plastic surgery in a social media post last year. (Pictured in 2010 and 2025) 

The 41-year-old looked unrecognizable during a performance in August last year

However, he warns prospective patients not to get caught up in 'internet aesthetics' and to be wary of flashy marketing. 

'Modern marketing makes it easy for any clinic anywhere to present results that look extraordinary,' he explained.

'Lighting, angles, timing, makeup, and increasingly sophisticated editing and AI tools can dramatically distort outcomes, so many online before and afters simply do not reflect reality. Patients should be very cautious about what they use as evidence.'

Dr. Maercks said that there is a 'constant rollout of new tightening devices, threads, scarless lifts, stacked treatments, and branded packages', adding that 'much of it is hype presented as innovation.'

'There is increasing demand for extremely snatched lateral vectors, exaggerated cheek prominence, narrow sculpted jawlines, and aggressive volume removal, including buccal fat removal in patients who are poor candidates,' he said.

'These approaches can produce a look that reads as intervention rather than natural beauty, especially as the face ages,' he continued. 

'There is value in emphasizing facial balance and understanding how the midface, jaw and chin, and nose relate to one another. The risk comes when harmonization becomes a rigid template or trend rather than individualized structural medicine.'

Dr. Maercks added, 'My philosophy is simple. Timeless results come from structure, not trends. The goal is subtle but meaningful change that looks refreshed, balanced, and undetectable, not a look that is recognizable as a specific moment in internet aesthetics.'