I posted this on Reddit a while back and it was suggested I post here.
The narrative that has been widely perpetuated is that Korean translators are taking advantage of foreigners who visit Seoul for plastic surgery (PS). I have nothing to say on that matter because the few translators I have used have been seemingly honest. What i have found, though, is that it is actually some of the other foreign patients who are in Seoul for PS who are taking advantage of uninitiated foreigners.
Story time: I joined a Kakao Talk group chat for people traveling to Seoul for plastic surgery in November 2023. The administrator of said group made it a requirement for joining the group chat that a person had to create an event in the group chat calendar and share 1) their real name, 2) their travel dates (arrival and departure), and 3) their clinics.
Like a good unsuspecting foreigner, I did as I was asked and joined the group chat with about 15 to 20 or so other unsuspecting foreigners, all very happy to share this information so that we could offer and receive support and meet up with other women and men traveling to Seoul in November for PS. On the day of my arrival, I shared with the group that I would be heading to XQueen (pseudonym) women's clinic for a consultation and would meet up with some of the other women afterwards. During my consultation I received a quote for, among other things, 600 shots of Jilsera laser tightening. The quote I received for the Jilsera alone was 2.2 million KRW. I told XQueen that I would give it some thought and get back with them. A week or so later, I contacted XQueen and asked if I could come in that day for the procedure but they did not have time. I therefore began looking around at other women's clinics. I looked at two other clinics, Podo and Golden. I consulted at one of them and had my translator call one of them. Their price for 600 shots of Jilsera: 980K KRW (Podo) and 580K KRW (Golden, where my translator called and they did not know I was a foreigner). Why a $1.2m - 1.6m KRW ($900 - $1,200 USD) difference in price from XQueen? Well, mind you, I did not share my plan to visit Podo with anyone. So here is where it gets interesting folks. Ostensibly, someone from the group chat called XQueen and asked for referral commission. Keep reading to see how it works.
During this trip to Seoul (my second trip) I learned from a Korean friend that commission for referrals is some of the easiest money that can be made in the Seoul PS industry. It goes like this: all a person needs to know is your name and the clinic you're visiting. They call up the clinic and say "Oh, Sally was not interested in your clinic but I heard good things about your clinic and convinced Sally to go to you, can I get a referral commission?" The clinic says no problem and tacks on the commission to your surgery price. Easy as that. That is right, the unsuspecting foreigner pays more just because they have either 1) shared their clinic plans with a seasoned PS vet who pretends to be their new super supportive friend or 2) joins a "supportive" Kakao Talk group chat for purposes of meeting up and shares their clinic plans (the administrators of these group chats love to call these chats "official" or "verified" and often the group chat will correspond with a season or month in which the unsuspecting foreigner plans to visit Seoul. No such thing as official or verified group chat, but I digress). Upshot: your clinic plans are being used to make commissions and get free and discounted surgery sometimes from folks who are pretending to be your BFFs. That is the hustle. Laid bare for all to see.
My tips: DO NOT SHARE YOUR CLINIC PLANS WITH ANYONE UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN TO YOUR CONSULTATION AND GOTTEN YOUR PRICE. MAKE CLEAR AT ALL OF YOUR CLINICS THAT NO ONE REFERRED YOU. DO NOT TAKE ANYONE BUT YOUR TRANSLATOR TO YOUR CLINICS. IF A REQUIREMENT TO JOIN A KAKAO TALK GROUP CHAT IS TO SAY YOUR NAME OR CLINIC, GIVE A FAKE NAME AND GIVE THE NAME OF ONE OF THE BIG FACTORY CLINICS WHERE YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF GOING.
Let me be clear, Seoul has some of the best plastic surgeons in the world. Going to Seoul for PS can pay dividends! Also, one of my favorite activities is meeting new and interesting people from the group chats who are in Seoul for PS. And most of the foreigners in those chats, especially those there for the first or second time, are good and honest folks. However, there are a couple of unsavory characters who have been to Seoul for PS multiple times and who are pretending to be your friend while making money and getting free and discounted surgery at your expense. My PSA. Hope it saves some of y'all.