South Korea detains 11 illegal plastic surgery brokers

Women who say they have been left disfigured by shoddy procedures in South Korea wait in a room at a clinic in Beijing in this undated photo. [Photo/Agencies]

The list of the 150 brokers who have been banned from leaving the country was found on account books of some plastic surgery clinics during police's investigations at Gangnam district, a high-profile neighborhood packed with luxury shops and a growing list of plastic surgeons. One of the suspects was captured when he tried to flee to China on May 21.

The involvement of illegal brokers would increase the cost for patients while lowering the medical quality, said the authorities.

In February, the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a crackdown on illegal brokers and unregistered clinics, following a series of cases involving accidents with plastic surgery.

New measures require all medical practices that deal with foreign patients - and any brokers they use to attract the clients - to register with the ministry. Those who fail to do so are liable to a hefty fine and, in the worst case, a prison term of up to three years.

South Korea is famous for its plastic surgery, which has resulted in spectacular rise in the number of Chinese traveling to their neighboring country to seek better looks in recent years.

According to the latest figures from the Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics, some 56,000 Chinese traveled there last year to go under the knife for cosmetic reasons – a considerable rise on the 16,000 who traveled the year before, according to South Korean health ministry numbers.