Change your face, increase your job prospects – that’s the new advice for some young, South Korean job seekers. Many Korean youngsters are rushing to get cosmetic surgery performed on their faces in the hope it will improve their chances of being hired. Many are looking to correct ‘flaws’ in their faces as they believe that looking better equates to a better chance of getting a job within some of the largest companies in the country.

With the incredible economic growth over the last decade now cooling, and with many employers now demanding high education qualifications such as Masters degrees from good Universities because of an over-supply of graduates in the market, competition is fierce, and your looks might just swing the employer’s decision your way.

Speaking to British newspaper, the Independent, the chief surgeon at the Imi Plastic Surgery in Seoul, Kim Sung-Min, explained, “nearly 30% of our patients want to change their looks for job interviews. Some come during their penultimate year at university because they want their face to look natural by the time they start job hunting.”

The ‘western’ look is popular, with many cosmetic surgery operations being to the eyes to make them larger and more western-looking. The most popular cosmetic surgery procedures are those to the ears, eyes, nose and brows as these are the parts that cannot be covered. Botox injections are also on the increase, however instead of having it injected into the face, many Koreans are opting to have the Botox injected into their vocal chords to stop their voices trembling in stressful situations such as job interviews.

Part of the reason behind the popularity in cosmetic surgery for the face is the role of physiognomy in Korean culture. The art of judging a person’s character or divining the future of the person by the features on their face is still popular and highly influential. Those receiving less-than-fantastic consultations from physiognomists often opt to go under the knife in order to correct their ‘flaws’ and ensure a better future and better character. Unfortunately, it seems on the back of the popularity, a spate of fraudulent physiognomists have sprung up who work in conjunction with the cosmetic surgeons, getting kick-back payments for every person they refer.

Even those who rely on the more traditional palm readers are not safe from these frauds. Palm line surgery is one of the newest surgeries on the market and is catered to those who, on the advice of their palmists, get additional lines cut into their palms to help increase their future prospects. Palmists have also seen an increase in footfall with people being referred to them by the cosmetic surgeons to discover where exactly the cut for the most auspicious future should go. Worryingly, in a recent survey of over 1,100 young Koreans, over 70% said that they would have palm line surgery if they thought it would improve their job prospects.

Parents in Korea will often spend small fortunes on the education of their children with many incurring heavy debts in order to ensure their children attend top schools and universities. Because of the sacrifice of their parents, children often want to ensure they land a good job to ensure that the sacrifices of their parents were for a good cause, meaning they will go to the extreme to land a good job. In a country where many people attach photos to their CVs, cosmetic surgery is the next logical step in an environment where competition is so strong.