SEOUL (AFP) — South Koreans are cutting down on cosmetic surgery and vacations amid the economic slowdown, news reports and surveys showed Tuesday.
The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper said cosmetic surgeons in Seoul were suffering from a rapidly decreasing number of clients because of the downturn.
"We saw a 30 percent drop in double eyelid operations and rhinoplasty from last year and more than a 40 percent decline in facial contouring surgery," Kim Beyong-Geon, a surgeon in southern Seoul, told the paper.
Also hit hard were dentists offering services such as orthodontics, teeth-whitening and implants, which like cosmetic surgery are not normally covered by state health insurance.
A joint survey by JoongAng Ilbo newspaper and recruitment firm Job Korea showed Tuesday that around 61 percent of those polled have changed summer vacation plans.
Of these, around 30 percent said they would use public transport rather than private cars, about 15 percent said they would cut the length of their break and about nine percent have scrapped plans to travel abroad.
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