Asianews January10- 16,2014

January 10-16, 2014

SOUTH KOREA'S COSMETIC SURGERY INDUSTRY

NewYear New Face

Contents January 10-16, 2014

❖ Cover Story

❖ Weekly Briefing

❖ View

Beauty through the scalpel

A panda star is born

Asia moves a step ahead

Contents January 10-16, 2014

❖ Business

❖ Business

❖ Business

❖ Culture

Reel change

Eliminating redundancy

The office just went freelance

Nanyang odyssey

Contents January 10-16, 2014

❖ Life

❖ Lifestyle

Datebook

Laughing their way to the bank

The new catwalk swagger

Happenings around Asia

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WEEKLY BRIEFING

January 10-16, 2014 AFP

A star is born TAIPEI: Six-month-old giant panda cub Yuan Zai debuted to the public on January 6 and attracted huge crowds with long queues forming at the Taipei Zoo even before it opened. The zoo’s panda house could accommodate as many as 19,200 visitors a day.

Yuan Zai has been a big sensation in Taiwan since its birth in July

and was unperturbed by the excitement as it padded around its enclosure, climbed up and down its perch and eventually took a nap after about an hour of activity.

Zoo keepers had to separate Yuan Zai from its mother, Yuan Yuan, a few days after birth following a wound. The mother and daughter were reunited a month later with

the video of the reunion hitting almost 2.5 million hits on YouTube.

Yuanzai was born after four years of artificial insemination attempts, using sperm from the only other giant panda at the zoo, Tuan Tuan.

The pair of giant pandas was given to Taiwan four years ago

by China to symbolise warmer ties between the two sides.

January 10-16, 2014

WEEKLY BRIEFING

WEEKLY BRIEFING

January 10-16, 2014

From sex blog to book KUALA LUMPUR: Alvin Tan, 25, half of the sex blogger duo Alvivi (the other is Vivian Lee, 24), is releasing an e-book “Sex, Pork and Persecution”, where he talks about his one-week stint in Sungai Buloh prison, among other things.

Tan was sent to the maximumsecurity facility to await trial after being denied bail in July last year.

As inmate number 31303963, Tan takes on a frank and humorous tone in the chapter, “Wonder What It's Like In A Malaysian Jail?”

The co-author of Sumptuous Erotica, a now-defunct public sex blog, Tan described his humiliations in explicit detail.

In an allusion to his original Ramadan Facebook prank, Tan also earned a peculiar nickname from the more affectionate

guards during his stay in jail.

Routine checks included hearing shouts of "Hey, Bak Kut Teh!", which was his cue to drop everything he was doing and stand at the door to show them that he had not committed suicide.

On July 11 last year, Tan and Lee stirred up a controversy with a Selamat Berbuka Puasa (Break Fasting greeting) greeting uploaded to their joint Facebook page during Ramadan.

The picture, which also contained a halal logo, depicted them eating bak kut teh described as 'wangi, enak, menyelerakan' (fragrant,

delicious, appetising) and caused an uproar among Malaysians of all races for their insensitivity.

They were jointly charged with publishing the photograph with possibly seditious statements, uploading pornographic images on their blog, and uploading content that had the possibility to stir hostility based on religion between those with different beliefs.

Their trial has been postponed, pending a bid to have the charge under Section 298A(1) of the Penal Code for stirring hostility between religions struck out.

—Michelle Tam/The Star

January 10-16, 2014

WEEKLY BRIEFING

WEEKLY BRIEFING

January 10-16, 2014

AFP

HK movie mogul Run Run Shaw, 107 HONG KONG: Pioneering Hong Kong movie producer Run Run Shaw, died peacefully at age 107 on January 7, according to a statement from Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), which he helped found in 1967.

Shaw’s Shaw Brothers Studios helped launch the careers of big industry players including director John Woo and churned out nearly 1,000 movies. His TV empire, TVB, trained some of today’s entertainment stalwarts including Chow Yun-fat and Wong Kar-wai.

Shaw headed TVB until retiring as chairman in December 2011 at the age of 104. He is survived by his second wife and four children from his first marriage.

January 10-16, 2014

‘A Xi meal set please’

Many Chinese, long used to having top leaders who rule from a distance, were pleasantly surprised, if not excited, at the sight of Xi carrying his own tray and eating at a table, just like them.

Sceptics saw it as a public relations stunt to portray Xi as a man of the people and to boost his austerity campaign.

Stunt or not, it helped turn the nondescript eatery, with its cream-coloured walls and movable wooden tables, into a must-see place overnight While the hype may baffle foreigners from countries where it is common for leaders to have meals at restaurants, Xi's visit is highly unusual in China, according to Beijing-based sociologist Hu Xingdou.

"Given China's imperial past, its leaders are typically seen as unapproachable and there is a distance between them and the people," Hu said.

“And so when something like this happens, bringing Xi closer to the people, it creates a lot of excitement.

The ordinary people are very supportive of his visit." — Esther Teo/The Straits Times

ESTHER TEO/THE STRAITS TIMES

BEIJING: A no-frills restaurant that sits on a busy street in Beijing's Xicheng district has become the capital's latest—and perhaps most unlikely—tourist attraction in the past week. The restaurant owes its sudden fame not to its food but to a VIP— Chinese President Xi Jinping—who went to the shop on December 28 and ordered six pork and onion buns, stir-fried pig's liver and vegetables. The simple meal cost 21 yuan (US$3.50), which he paid himself.

QUIRKY ASIA

January 10-16, 2014

QUIRKY ASIA

QUIRKY ASIA

January 10-16, 2014

Dial Korean for fried chicken SEOUL: Fried chicken was ranked No. 1 among Koreans' favourite delivery foods, beating the long-loved noodle dish jajangmyeon, according to a survey released last week.

The state-run Korea Rural Economic Institute polled 3,200 households nationwide, using self-report questionnaires or questions asked through household visits, to find out people’s ordering-in preferences.

The poll showed that 42.4 per cent of Koreans favour fried chicken, followed by Chinese delivery meals at 21.5 per cent and pizza at 16.6 per cent.

The institute said fried chicken was crowned the most

popular delivery food among the majority of Koreans regardless of household size, monthly income and age. Only the age group of people over 60 preferred jajangmyeon to fried chicken.

Respondents said they consider the taste of the food (33 per cent), price (20 per cent), delivery speed (20 per cent) and menu items (16 per cent) when they choose delivery meals. — Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald

QUIRKY VIEWASIA

January 10-16, 2014

Asia moves a step ahead MARTIN KHOR Petaling Jaya The Star

AFP

SKYSCRAPERS OF THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT IN SINGAPORE, ONE OF THE MOST AFFLUENT COUNTRIES IN THE REGION.

VIEW

January 10-16, 2014

T

Economic growth as a goal in itself in Asia is also being challenged on many fronts— by the need for more equitable sharing of benefits and by environmental degradation such as health-threatening air pollution, natural disasters and climate change.

One weakness is that the Asian and the Pacific countries do not have the practice of thinking and working together as one region. There are separate sub-regional organisations such as Asean (for SouthEast Asia), SAARC (for South Asia) and the Pacific Forum.

But there isn’t an organisation of the developing countries for the whole region. Asean Plus Three and the East Asia Summit come nearest, but these are informal gatherings and even then they cover mainly East Asia.

By contrast, Africa has

the African Union with its Commission that unites the various sub-regions. In South America, there is Unasur and most recently, the emergence of Celac (which groups together South and Central America plus the Caribbean countries).

Into the policy-making vacuum for our region has stepped Escap, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for BAY ISMOYO/AFP

his is the Asian century, or so many books and articles have proclaimed.

Many others around the world often look at Asia economically with some envy.

On the other hand, in the wake of the global economic slowdown, some Asian countries are bracing themselves for tough times ahead.

They include countries like India and Indonesia, which have current account deficits and are expected to face difficulties when the United States reduces the pace of its easy money policy.

For China, the era of guaranteed rapid growth of exports to the United States and Europe is over.

It is changing direction from export-led to domestic growth, and from investmentbased to consumptionbased domestic demand.

A SCAVENGER WALKS PAST AN ADVERTISEMENT OF A NEW SHOPPING MALL IN JAKARTA, INDONESIA, SOUTHEAST ASIA'S LARGEST ECONOMY.

January 10-16, 2014

VIEW

PETER PARKS/AFP

A WOMAN WALKS PAST A CONSTUCTION SITE IN BEIJING, CHINA, IN THIS 2005 FILE PHOTO. CHINA IS THE WORLD'S SECOND LARGEST ECONOMY.

ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP

THIS PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN DECEMBER 2012 SHOWS JURONG PORT IN SINGAPORE. CLOSE LINKS TO CHINA ARE THE KEY TO FUTURE GROWTH AMONG EXPORTERS AS ECONOMIC POWER SHIFTS RAPIDLY AWAY FROM THE US AND EUROPE.

VIEW

January 10-16, 2014

Asia and the Pacific.

It used to be little noticed. But in recent years, Escap has grown in profile and stature under the leadership of Dr Noeleen Heyzer, a Singaporean with close family ties to Malaysia.

Last week, Escap ministers took a step forward by adopting a four-pronged programme to link up the countries of West, Central, East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

The ministerial conference adopted a Bangkok Declaration on regional economic cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific.

Heyzer highlighted the four pillars for regional cooperation — an integrated regional market, seamless connectivity, financial cooperation and regional response to vulnerabilities.

During the opening ceremony,

Timor Leste’s Premier Xanana Gusmao pointed out that the context and circumstances of each country are different, which should be taken into account when advocating regional cooperation.

Moreover, the aim should be development for the people, not the benefit of transnational companies or a corrupt global financial elite.

He struck a cautionary tone that the plans for regional integration should result in mutual benefits including for the weaker countries, and should not pry open the economies to powerful economic entities and global financial markets.

Leaders from less developed countries such as Samoa, Laos and Tuvalu stressed the need to give leeway and special treatment for the smaller and weaker

countries when negotiating trade agreements, so that they do not get further marginalised.

The Bangkok Declaration was a good blend of four action areas: > Moving towards forming an integrated market, including bringing down trade barriers (but with special treatment for weaker economies), recognising the importance of migration flows and intra-regional tourism. > Enhancing financial cooperation, including mobilising Asia’s immense financial resources towards short-term liquidity support (to help countries with foreign exchange problems), trade finance and funds for infrastructure development. > Increasing cooperation to address shared vulnerabilities and risks, including the issues

VIEW

January 10-16, 2014

of food security (through a new regional agriculture network), economic shocks, natural disasters, environment and climate change. > Developing “seamless connectivity” in the region in the areas of transport (including an Asian Highway Network and a Trans-Asia Railway Network), energy (to be developed through an Asian Pacific Energy Forum) and information and communications technology.

To avoid this Declaration being just another document at just another meeting, the ministers agreed to a follow-up plan. This includes setting up four expert working groups (to propose actions for each of the issues), convening a second ministerial meeting on regional cooperation in 2015 and having an intergovernmental process open to all Escap member states to receive

the expert group reports and to prepare for the ministerial meeting.

The understanding is that there will be a ministerial conference every two years on regional cooperation and integration to review progress on the actions in the four areas.

With last week’s Bangkok conference, Escap is set to get concrete action going on Asian-Pacific regional integration and cooperation.

Pursuing this cooperation agenda is “an important step toward realising a broad longterm vision of an economic community of Asia and the Pacific,” according to the Bangkok Declaration.

Malaysia’s delegation was led by Deputy International Trade Minister Hamim Samuri, who described the conference as very useful, stressed the need for “action with concrete

outcomes” and called on the four expert groups to come up with solid deliverables.

At the final session, the conference chairperson, Samoa’s Finance Minister Faumumina Tiatia Liuga said: “For us to be stronger, to be the Number One region in the world, we need to support each other and help the weakest.”

It remains to be seen whether this conference lives up to its promise of sparking a process for Asia-Pacific countries to talk with one another and generate region-wide cooperation in concrete ways in finance, connectivity and addressing vulnerabilities.

If it does, then policy-making in the region will become more mature, which is what’s needed in this complex, globalised world with its many big challenges in the near future. ¬

BUSINESS FILM

January 10-16, 2014

THE STRAITS TIMES

REEL CHANGE A US$97-million ‘film city’ and other developments are part of the changing landscape in Bhutan’s film industry

A SHOT OF SOUTHERN THIMPHU THE CAPITAL CITY OF BHUTAN.

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

NIRMALA GANAPATHY The Straits Times Thimphu

W

ith its breathtaking mountains, clear rivers and blue sky, Bhutan should be a natural choice for India's film industry next door, where crews have been known to go as far as Latin America to shoot a single song sequence.

But a complicated permit structure and high taxes have meant not more than two or three Indian movies have ever been filmed in Bhutan.

The film federation of Bhutan hopes all that will change.

It plans to spend 6 billion rupees (US$97 million) to build a “film city” on 150 acres of leased government land on the outskirts of the capital city of Thimphu, with indoor studios

and post-production facilities.

“The government is willing to support this,” said Sherub Gyeltshen general secretary of the Motion Picture Association of Bhutan. He added that the initiative had the backing of Bhutan's royal family.

Talks, he said, are on with a number of investors though there is no timeline for completing the project.

Bhutan is often called Shangri La because it is seen as a mysterious land shut off to the world till very recently.

People in Bhutan got access to the Internet and television only in 1999.

But the winds of change are now blowing a little faster in the landlocked country sandwiched between India and China, the fastest growing economies in Asia.

For years, Bhutan depended

on selling hydropower to neighbouring India to earn revenue. Now it wants to expand tourism and offering itself up as a location for shooting movies would help showcase Bhutan as a tourist destination.

In the last few years, Bhutan has built three domestic airports and is aiming to bring in 200,000 dollar-paying tourists by 2018, said Bhutan's finance secretary Lam Dorji.

In 2011, 64,028 tourists from across the world visited Bhutan, with numbers almost doubling to 105,407—including 1,069 Singaporeans—in 2012.

The country earned $211.5 million in 2012. The bulk of the increase was from Indian tourists who don't need a visa.

But at the same time the government wants to concentrate on promoting highend, low volume tourism to

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

A CINEMA HALL IN THE HEART OF CAPITAL CITY OF THIMPHU, THE LARGEST CITY IN BHUTAN, IS SHUT IN THE AFTERNOON.

the three Khans of Bollywood —Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman—as popular here as in neighbouring India.

But local films have also been growing in popularity with some 20 Bhutanese films now produced every year. Last year's big hit was Jarim Sarim (Pretty and the Beautiful), a romantic comedy film that ran full house for 24 days in one cinema hall, a

THE STRAITS TIMES

keep numbers manageable.

The country follows the principles of Gross National Happiness and not Gross Domestic Product, emphasising tradition, culture and the environment over profits and consumerism.

Tobacco is banned and cannot be sold or produced.

Men and women have to wear the national dress—knee length robes for men and ankle length dress for women during office hours and in public functions.

So preserving the local culture and language, Dzongkha, takes precedence over all else.

At the eight cinema halls across Bhutan, only Bhutanese films are screened. In the '90s, movie halls were asked to screen only Bhutanese films, leading to the disappearance of Indian and Hollywood films from halls.

The Bhutanese still watch Bollywood movies on cable television and speak Hindi with

record in the local film industry.

Made on an average budget of 4 million rupees ($64,168) each, themes are centred around romance and comedy.

“It is a very interesting time to be in Bhutan's film industry.

I am very excited. And I see it growing more,” said Tshokey Tshomo Karchung, a leading actress and the country's first Miss Bhutan in 2008. ¬

THE STRAITS TIMES

LEADING ACTRESS TSHOKEY TSHOMO KARCHUNG, WHO WAS THE COUNTRY'S FIRST MISS BHUTAN IN 2008, SAYS THAT BHUTAN'S FILM INDUSTRY IS SEEING VERY INTERESTING TIMES.

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

Eliminating redundancy Overcapacity is one of the major problems in the world's economic cycles. Now it's China's turn to deal with it

DU JUAN AND ZHONG NAN China Daily Beijing

T THE STATE COUNCIL, CHINA'S CABINET, PLANS TO CUT 80 MILLION METRIC TONNES OF STEEL PRODUCTION CAPACITY IN FIVE YEARS, WHICH IS AIMED AT IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND HELPING AN INDUSTRY HIT HARD BY DESTRUCTIVE COMPETITION.

he central government carried out a series of measures designed to ease the problem, trying to establish a longterm system to solve it and accelerate industrial upgrading in 2013.

President Xi Jinping has stressed that the country will no longer evaluate local governments' performance by GDP growth alone.

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

CHINA WILL CONTINUE TO LAG BEHIND ITS FOREIGN COMPETITORS AS PROLONGED EXCESS CAPACITY CONTINUES TO CRAMP THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY’S PROFIT AND DRIVE SMALLER SHIPYARDS OUT.

ANALYSTS SAY THAT CHINA BEGAN TRYING TO CURB OVERCAPACITY IN THE PRIMARY ALUMINUM INDUSTRY IN 2002, BUT ITS EFFORTS WENT NOWHERE.

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

Instead, it will include reducing overcapacity among criteria for evaluating the work of local officials, the State Council announced in 2014.

Balancing environmental carrying capacity, market demand and resource supply within five years is the goal.

Last October, the government announced guidance for reducing overcapacity in five industries—namely, steel, cement, electrolytic aluminum, sheet glass and shipbuilding.

It was the first time that the State Council, the country's cabinet, published a report of this kind to deal with the overcapacity problem.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is requiring 19 industries comprising 1,569 companies to cut production capacity.

The companies must shut down part of their production lines by the end of the year.

The China Banking Regulatory Commission said in November it is prohibiting any type of credit support to new projects in industries with a severe overcapacity problem.

It is expected that 2014 will see even stricter standards.

Overcapacity occurs as a result of fast economic growth, and it causes redundancy and waste.

Thus, dealing with the problem is an inevitable part of the country's economic upgrading.

China's photovoltaic solar power industry is one that was reborn after a reshuffle.

In 2012, all nine Chinese solar companies listed abroad suffered huge losses.

Last year, the same companies achieved profit after a strategic adjustment driven by the market.

In 2014, China promises to be a tough year both for companies struggling with overcapacity and local governments facing the problem.

Aluminum

According to Wang Ling, manager of China nonferrous metals with CRU, an independent commodity information provider, although China began trying to curb overcapacity in the primary aluminum industry in 2002, its efforts went nowhere.

More than 80 per cent of the current facilities were built since the capacitycutting campaign began.

The central government told financial institutions to stop funding projects in industries with overcapacity, including aluminum, which was a break with the past.

However, actually controlling new capacity still depends heavily on implementing existing policies. “Our understanding is that if the projects have already started construction, the expansions are very likely to go ahead,� Wang said.

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

Thus, the new drive to curtail capacity is likely to have a small impact in the short term and little if any impact in the medium and long term, she said.

Shipbuilding

China's shipbuilding sector has stagnated in 2013, and things won't improve in 2014.

The country will continue to lag behind its foreign competitors as prolonged excess capacity continues to cramp industry profit and drive smaller shipyards out.

Zhang Guangqin, president of the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry, said that heedless expansion of capacity and product lines have severely hurt the industry's health.

"Surplus capacity of the world's shipping industry has mounted since the global financial crisis in 2008. The estimated overcapacity

of the sector may reach as high as 20 per cent in 2013," Zhang said.

"Under the circumstances, it will take at least five years to digest the surplus capacity in China's shipbuilding sector."

Steel

The State Council plans to cut 80 million metric tonnes of steel production capacity in five years, which is aimed at improving air quality and helping an industry hit hard by destructive competition.

"China should not add any single new steel project for any reason," said Li Xinchuang, head of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute.

He called the ban a must in order to help the environment and put an end to the unfair competition caused by steel mills that haven't installed emission-reduction equipment.

To achieve the target, Hebei province, the largest steel

producer in China, will cut steel capacity by 60 million tonnes by 2017, which means that one-third of the province's steel capacity will be shut down by then.

The local government said that its goal is to reduce 15 million tonnes of crude steel capacity in 2014.

"Hebei will destroy blast furnaces and cut the power supply to production lines that are tapped for shutdown, which means the steel companies cannot put them back in production again," said Lu Huaying, an analyst with Lange Steel Information Research Centre.

She said the central government has been encouraging companies to save energy and cut emissions for years, but the temporary measures resulted in failure when steel mills started to produce again after authorities' checks. ÂŹ

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

The office just went freelance Co-working spaces come to Bangkok, providing sociable environments and cheap drop-in facilities for young entrepreneurs

KLIQRE DISK

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

PATTARAWADEE SAENGMANEE The Nation Bangkok

A

n increasingly attractive option for freelance professionals as well as those who find working at home too lonely or too distracting, co-working spaces are springing up all over Bangkok.

Wander into any of these shared offices in search of a desk and you'll find a community of graphic designers, programmers, digital nomads and one- or two-man start-ups already hard at work.

Places like Klique Desk and Hubba, both conveniently located downtown with easy access to BTS and MRT stations, provide fully serviced and modern office space complete with highspeed Wi-Fi along with the company of like-minded folk.

Klique Desk, which is owned by interior designer Kant Rodsawat and two partners, has been around since February.

"Our research showed that more and more people are tending to work alone, while new graduates in the IT and design fields prefer to start their professional careers as freelancers.

We wanted to provide for them by offering a multifunction shared working space," Kant explains.

Located on the second floor of the Shinawatra Building on Sukhumvit Soi 23, the office has a modern, avant-garde look that's in sharp contrast to the old-fashioned structure of the building with walls and floor painted a cheerful shade of yellow.

Spread over a generous 300 square metres, it houses two multipurpose meeting rooms, complete with projector, television and other multimedia tools, hot-desk space with full office

connectivity and 14 private offices in different sizes. Prices start at 200 baht (US$6) a day for shared working space and 17,000 baht ($513) per month for a private office.

The fully serviced office offers a business address and a bilingual receptionist who handles incoming mail, e-mail notifications and answers the phone.

"Most of our customers are graphic designers, bloggers, web developers, media people and foreign business people. Thais are also becoming more aware of what a co-working space is and how it is different from a cafe or library. A co-working space is ideal for freelancers and start-ups, especially small and medium enterprises. They don't have to worry about high rent or setting up an office system. We provide everything they need.

We have flexible packages for

January 10-16, 2014

BUSINESS

MUCHROOM

January 10-16, 2014

BUSINESS

HUBBA

HUBBA

KLIQUE DESK

KLIQUE DESK

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January 10-16, 2014

long-term private office leases that include cost of utilities and reception service," Kant says.

"Our space is not only a workplace, but also a community that allows you to network with like-minded people."

The hot-desk zone can seat 15 and boasts a phone booth area for private conversations and online conferences, as well as a photocopier, printer, scanner and fax.

There's even a small pantry equipped with a refrigerator, microwave oven and coffee maker where you can grab free drinks and a selection of snacks.

"We're just a short distance away from the BTS and MRT, though we also provide free parking space for those who prefer to come by car. Co-working space is becoming a popular trend in many big cities because entrepreneurs from Europe are expanding their businesses to Asia," co-founder Nattamon Limthanachai says.

PanchaphatLert-U-Thai, who has just launched a travel and cultural website in Chinese, recently moved into Klique Desk.

"I have a small company and just a couple of staff. Klique Desk was an obvious choice thanks to its attractive location and fully serviced space. The flexible lease helps me save on costs and works out cheaper than turning my house into an office. All you need to move in is a notebook computer; everything else, even the coffee, is provided," Panchaphat says.

One of the pioneers of coworking spaces in Bangkok, Hubba is still the most popular spot for foreign tourists and expatriates. Tucked away on Soi Ekamai 4, the white, two-storey house with a shady courtyard is the property of Charle Charoenphan.

A business consultant for many years, Charle set up Hubba as an alternative for those fed up with working in coffee shops.

The prices range from 265 baht ($8) per day to 36,500 baht ($1,100) per year, inclusive of hi-speed Internet connection, office equipment and drinks.

"I launched Hubba last year. At that time, co-working was a very new thing and people had no idea what we were all about. We had just one member the first month!

We've tried to educate people in the shared working space concept and its benefits," Charle says.

The spacious house is decorated in minimalist-style and offers a "hot desk" area that can accommodate, indoors and outdoors, a total of 50 visitors.

The ground floor boasts a small library with books in several categories, a fitted pantry, three private offices, a spacious shared working space with phones and a meeting room.

The second storey has two fully equipped meeting rooms that are the right size for small seminars or workshops.

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January 10-16, 2014

"Co-working space builds a community. It is where we can find people in different careers with whom we can interact and network, perhaps leading to new jobs," Charle says.

"Besides, we also offer a programme of workshops on a range of interesting topics, which are facilitated by our members and specialists and designed to improve career skills. Next year, we plan to expand the coworking space and also open a new branch in Hua Hin." Nutthawut Teachatanawat, who has worked for an international NGO for years, comes to Hubba almost every day.

"My office moved to other country, so now I have to work from home. I'm used to being around other people and found I was becoming depressed. So I searched for co-working spaces on the Internet and found Hubba.

Working here is much more convenient than a coffee shop and

my productivity has noticeably improved," Nutthawut says.

German tourist Alexej Friesen has been a regular visitor to Hubba since arriving in Bangkok a month ago.

"My friend recommended this place. Co-working spaces are very popular in my hometown and Germany is now the second biggest market after the US. I like this place.

It's friendly and the atmosphere encourages us to talk and make friends with strangers. In Germany, spaces tend to be more serious and quiet. Here, there is much more a sense of community," Friesen says.

The latest kid on the block is Muchroom on Soi Pradipat 23.

Also situated in a two-storey house, it's run by engineer Sarinthee Nualchanchai, accountant Watcharaphong Chaicomaudom and a friend.

It's been open since August and the cosy office and attractive garden has been successful in attracting local freelancers. ÂŹ

ROOM TO SPARE Klique Desk is on the second floor of the T Shinawatra building, Sukhumvit Soi 23, near BTS Asoke. It's open daily from 9am to 7pm. Call +66 (02) 105 6767 or visit www.Kliquedesk.com.

Hubba is located on Ekamai Soi 4. It's open daily from 9am to 10pm. Call +66 (02) 714 3388 or visit www.HubbaThailand.com.

Muchroom is at 61 Soi Pradiphat 23. It's open daily from 9am to 8pm.

Call +66 (02) 618 7800 or visit www.Facebook.com/ muchroom working space.

January 10-16, 2014

Documentary filmmaker Zhou Bing reveals his secrets about bringing the subjects of his work closer to audiences far removed from his field of study

PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Nanyang odyssey

CULTURE

ZHOU BING'S LATEST DOCUMENTARY, SOUTH OF THE OCEAN, SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF CHINESE EMIGRANTS' LIVES IN SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES.

CULTURE

January 10-16, 2014

RAYMOND ZHOU Beijing China Daily

Z

hou Bing has lots of friends in Southeast Asia. When they have a party, his friends would use multiple languages to talk to different people in the same room. "Many of them can speak seven languages and dialects, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Fuzhou dialect, southern Fujian dialect, Malay and English. They would keep on switching from one to another and sprinkle one language with words from others," explains Zhou, a documentary filmmaker.

Zhou spent much of the past three years visiting nine countries in Southeast Asia that are collectively known as "Nanyang" in Chinese.

It was the destination of many Chinese emigrants in the old days.

Zhou and his team embarked on

THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL CELEBRATION PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN THE LIFE OF ETHNIC CHINESE LIVING IN SINGAPORE.

a mission to chronicle the current lives of these people as well as the history of their ancestors.

The result, South of the Ocean, has been broadcast on the History Channel in the United States.

That was a two-hour highlight, and the full-length 10-episode version will hit the airwaves on the documentary channel of China Central Television.

"Nanyang is a mirror, which can reflect not only China's past,

but its present and future," says Zhou. "Once you mingle in that society, you'll know how our ancestors lived and their customs, including how they decorated their homes and worshipped their gods. Even traditional holidays we celebrate today are more elaborate and complicated over there."

Zhou is especially impressed by the popularity of ancestral halls that dot urban and rural landscapes in Nanyang.

January 10-16, 2014

CULTURE

TRADITIONAL CULTURE LIKE THIS MALAYSIAN WEDDING IS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 10-EPISODE DOCUMENTARY.

ZHOU BING AND HIS TEAM VISIT NINE COUNTRIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA TO SHOOT SOUTH OF THE OCEAN.

CULTURE

January 10-16, 2014

"These venues are not just collective homesteads of antiquity, but still have many functions.

A new arrival can stay there, and get help in job hunting or even obtaining loans for a business startup. After you make it big, you can donate to the organisation. Many of the big halls run schools and other nonprofit activities. In Malacca, a town with a small population, it is like a senior citizens' entertainment centre, where people sip tea and sing karaoke."

Many of the customs can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but tanghao probably originated in the Song (960-1279) or even earlier Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), analyses Zhou. "It refers to your ancestral root. So, you'll see posted on some doors place names, such as Yinchuan or Dunhuang far in northern China. Young people in China have never heard of such a practice or even the name tanghao."

Not only are Zhou's documentaries richly informative, but they employ a film language that is lavish and engaging. "One of my collaborators is a graduate from film school and I share with him the notion that our work should resemble a European art film in visual style," he says.

In South of the Ocean, made for a total cost of 24 million yuan (US$4 million), some of the images, including the aerial shots, are so eye-catching they would not be out of place in a big-budget feature film.

Ten years ago, Zhou made The Forbidden City, a 12-episode documentary that made extensive use of dramatisation and computer imagery. The enormity of the project and its huge influence turned it into a milestone in Chinese documentary filmmaking.

"We had been trying to learn the creative model of National Geographic, and by 2003 we had the chance to work with them.

We designed The Forbidden City

to appeal to a global audience," Zhou recalls. "If we want Chinese arts and culture to be accepted by mainstream Western media, we have to find out, in concept and technique, the international way of communication."

When making South of the Ocean, the techniques and technologies had advanced, but the concept remains the same, such as the visual style, the quality of the shots and editing and narrating skill should be up to the par of a good feature film, says Zhou.

However, in the decade of exploring a global market, Zhou has found that there is no single "Western market". Every country and every channel has its own distinctive features.

"Take the pace of storytelling and editing. Documentaries shown on American channels are the fastest. France and Germany are somewhat slower. NHK of Japan is the slowest, even slower than those in China."

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January 10-16, 2014

Zhou joined China Central Television in 1993 as a producer for its news magazine that followed the highest rated evening news programme. The CCTV show was mostly investigative, but occasionally it would feature scholars, writers and artists. The diversity of the show provided him with opportunities to tap into his fields of interest.

"I was lucky that I found myself in a work environment that encouraged me to do what I loved to do."

In the ensuing years, he made multiple-episode documentaries on the Dunhuang Grottoes; the Peking Opera legend Mei Lanfang; the Bund in Shanghai; the Louvre; the Palace Museum of Taipei; and, of course, the wildly successful Forbidden City series.

About half of the projects were commissioned rather than initiated by himself, but they all enticed him with challenges.

One of the challenges is the mountain of information from

which he has to cull the most relevant and most exciting to be used in his films. He does not shove it to a team of researchers, but would conduct the in-depth probe himself so that he has a firm grasp of the subject matter.

For the first episode of The Forbidden City, for which he wrote a 6,000-word script, he devoured historical documents to the tune of more than a million words. "We even made discoveries that went beyond what the scholars knew, so our film benefited their research."

Zhou experimented with the BBC format of using an expert who acted as a guide for his film on the Great Wall. But he is not optimistic about the format in China because, as he sees it, it would require talents who must project trustworthiness and eloquence as well as knowledge and erudition. "Most of the time, we would use a narration and a voice-over that is a friendly third person and an all-

knowing god, sight unseen."

For his next project, Zhou intends to make a film on traditional Chinese medicine, which will ruffle a few feathers as the topic is polarising.

"I'll incorporate differing views on it," he notes. But above all, he wants to show TCM as "part of China's ancient value system and a vital expression of the culture".

He even dreams of venturing into the realm of fictional feature films, but it has to be about ancient Chinese history and he does not trust others to do the script for him.

"It must be the Chinese cultural genes inside me. Whether I do a documentary or a fictional feature or even a cartoon, I want it to carry on traditional culture and values. It can be entertaining and it must have strong aesthetics, but ultimately you're responsible for contributing to the cultural heritage. It's a burden I carry on my shoulders."

The series was aired on CCTV9 from December 20 to 29 last year. ÂŹ

LIFE

January 10-16, 2014

LAUGHING THEIR WAY TO THE BANK Making people laugh is fast becoming a lucrative business in Singapore HOE PEI SHAN The Straits Times Singapore

I

t’s a Wednesday night, yet the club is packed. Drinkers fix their eyes on the animated, clean-shaven man talking a mile a minute on the raised platform in the corner.

It is open-mic, stand-up comedy night at the Blu Jaz Cafe in Singapore, where comedians—or just anyone with the chutzpah—are invited to take the stage for five to 10 minutes to try and raise laughs.

On stage is local comedian Muhammad Fadzri Abdul Rashid, 27,

better known by his stage name Fakkah Fuzz. He pulls no punches and gets the crowd roaring with a gag about the Little India riot.

The weekly Talk Cock Comedy night has come a long way since it was set up three years ago by Comedy Club Asia.

Though still in its infancy, the local stand-up scene has hit a growth spurt.

Singapore may have just two main comedy venues, but each is

seeing more aspiring comedians stepping forward and weekly show nights are often packed.

Comedy Club Asia charges S$10 (US$7.90) a ticket for Talk Cock Comedy and S$50 for bigger shows that include international acts. It reported a S$100,000 profit in 2013, almost five times what it took just three years ago, says co-founder Heazry Salim.

Two years ago, Heazry, 39, spotted the ''really profitable'' niche in

January 10-16, 2014

LIFE

THE STRAITS TIMES

POPULAR LOCAL COMEDIAN MUHAMMAD FADZRI ABDUL RASHID, WHOSE STAGE NAME IS FAKKAH FUZZ, WORKING THE AUDIENCE DURING A TALK COCK COMEDY SESSION AT BLU JAZ CAFE.

THECOMEDYCLUBASIA

A DELIGHTED AUDIENCE AT COMEDY CLUB ASIA (SINGAPORE).

January 10-16, 2014

local comedy and quit his consulting job to run the club here fulltime, plus its branches in Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.

The club began without any seasoned local comedians but it now has 20 regulars, led by Fadzri and up-and-comer Sharul Channa, one of the few women on the local circuit. Rival Comedy Masala has a similar open-mic night on Tuesdays at the Home Club in Boat Quay, which charges S$10 per entry, including a drink. Its profits are up ''about 200 per cent'' from when it started in 2010, said founder and comic Umar Rana, 37.

Back then, the names on the playbill would outnumber those who turned up to watch but now the 200-seat club often sells out. ''The new comics coming up are starting to get really good,'' said Rana. ''More people are discovering the affordability and accessibility of comedy here. It makes a very economical night out.'' Some attend to think as well as laugh. Comics say

LIFE sues such as woes about education, migrant workers, maids and transport.

Student and Comedy Club regular Sean Francis Han, 18, said of Fadzri's sensitive routine: ''I liked that he could bring it up and joke about it in a style that didn't offend people and instead, made us think about the issues.''

Channa said it is a myth DRAG QUEEN KUMAR WHO IS REGARDED AS THE FOUNDER OF that Singaporeans have a poor STAND UP COMEDY IN SINGAPORE, SAYS THAT SOCIETY’S REsense of humour. ''We do love to SPONSE TO COMEDY 20 YEARS AGO IS VERY DIFFERENT TODAY. laugh,'' she said. ''It's just that we self-censor so as not to offend the rising popularity of stand-up other people.'' here is partly due to a more liberal Fadzri, who by day works as a audience which appreciates a genre stunt performer at Universal Stuthat pushes the envelope about what dios, got 50 per cent more gigs last is considered acceptable discourse. year than in 2012. Next month, he Drag queen Kumar, 45, widewill launch a new show focusing on ly regarded as the founder of local local current affairs. stand-up, told The Straits Times that ''The beautiful thing about standwhen he started two decades ago up comedy is that it gives an insight ''people were very conservative and into everyday perceptions, things the police were very concerned, but people may not say,'' he said. ''It entoday it's different''. courages critical thinking among There is plenty of fodder to chew the audience.''  on and spit out, with perennial is-

January 10-16, 2014

LIFESTYLE BAE JISOOK The Korea Herald SEOUL

The new catwalk swagger

KIM HAN-SU

January 10-16, 2014

T

hey defy the common prejudice that Asian men are short, less fit and less fashionable than Asian women.

With faces smaller than the size of a palm and incredibly long legs on top of good communication skills and strong English language abilities, Korean male fashion models are the newest darlings of the global fashion scene. The new breed of clotheshorses sashay down the catwalks of internationally acclaimed fashion houses, pose for globally circulated magazines, and are featured in advertisements for powerhouses, breaking the prejudice and establishing the brand image of Korean male models.

The outcome has been impressive. Jae Yoo became the first Asian male model to run for Calvin Klein Men and starred in advertisements for Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffany & Co, Hugo Boss and others. Park Sung-jin was ranked 27th on the influential www.Models.com website for his appearances in Calvin Klein,

LIFESTYLE

Korean male models are the latest darlings of the fashion industry Uniqlo and Iceberg ads; and Kim Han-su walked for shows by Vivienne Westwood, Missoni and Dirk Bikkembergs.

"It is true that there is still a sense of unfamiliarity and unfriendliness toward Asian male models, compared to female models. Some shows do not even audition Asian male models at the beginning," says Kim Tae-hwan. "But it is getting better."

The 21-year-old has strutted for Diesel, Neil Barrett, Dries van Noten, Phillip Lim, John Galliano and Kenzo's 2014 Spring/Summer collections this summer, his debut season. The 187-centimetre-tall model's very different images—with his hair combed back boasts of masculinity but when he lets his bangs down, he turns into an ethereal JAE YOO

LIFESTYLE

January 10-16, 2014

teenage boy—have satisfied different clients who have been hesitant in hiring models with a less-familiar look.

Fashion insiders say the growth of Korea's fashion market has contributed to the increased popularity of Korean male models.

According to a report by Bain & Company, Korea is the eighth largest so-called luxury fashion market, valued at around 12 trillion won (US$11.22 billion) as of last year. Naturally, the demand for models who can represent the customers of this important market has grown, they say.

"Boys these days have become taller and well-proportioned, with

JAE YOO

smaller faces, longer legs and lean but muscular bodies," notes Choi Joo-soo, head of CHOII Entertainment, the agency of Kim Han-su, Kim Tae-hwan and Jae Yoo. And the looks clients prefer reflect Korean reality, too, he says.

"In the past, designers were out for typical Asian male models— with long single eyelids, big cheekbones ... but look at Kim Tae-hwan and Jae Yoo, they look like the cute boys on the streets of Seoul. This is a good sign," he says. "And the models are eager to work overseas—it seems to be kind of a dream come true for them."

But still, the number of Asian models active in the international fashion

KIM HAN-SU

KIM TAE-HWAN

LIFESTYLE

January 10-16, 2014

circle is small, compared to Caucasians, Africans and others, Choi says.

"There are still lingering doubts about the models, and casting staff place tougher and stricter demands on them, such as requiring them to be taller than 186 cm, be thin and well-built, and more, whereas they're more generous to Caucasian models," he says.

Apart from luck, endless effort seems to be the only key to a breakthrough.

"I have studied all the brands that I want to work for—what kind of design and image they feature, which model types they prefer—and prepared my looks according to their pref-

JAE YOO

erences. I would sometimes have to dress bulkier, sometimes show skinny legs, lose or gain weight in a very short period of time to match the needs of different brands while taking care of my personal fashion style to look trendy and chic," he says.

"There is always the chance of designers cancelling your booking at the last minute so you always have to be prepared and alert," he added.

"I recommend for all models to be able to speak some foreign language at a certain level because when they go overseas they are just left there alone and have to climb the ladder on their own," Choi says. ¬

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January 10-16, 2014

Beauty through the scalpel CHOI HE-SUK The Korea Herald Seoul

T

he growing popularity of cosmetic procedures, both surgical and nonsurgical, has given South Korea the dubious title of “plastic surgery republic.”

Fuelled by the highly competitive nature of Korean society, aesthetic procedures have become so common that it is not unheard of for students to receive them as “graduation gifts”.

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, nearly

650,000 cosmetic procedures were carried out in Korea in 2011. Although the figure puts Korea in seventh place in terms of the number of procedures carried out, Korea ranks highest in terms of the proportion of the population that has received treatment.

Along with the rise in numbers, society’s negative perceptions of plastic surgery have eased significantly, particularly among younger people.

“I think it’s a positive thing to be able to address

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January 10-16, 2014

the complexes you might have about your appearance,” said Yoo Hye-rin, a second-year high school student. She added that the common opinion among her peers is that eyelid surgeries aren’t a big deal, as they are so common.

Cosmetic procedures have also come to be performed in an increasingly wider range of medical disciplines.

A growing number of ophthalmologists offer eyelid surgeries, while many dentists have opted to specialise in orthodontics and teeth whitening to boost their income. Some dentists even perform “double-jaw” surgery, in which the jawbones are cut, realigned and then reset to create a narrow jawline. Despite the dangers and the long recovery period the procedure requires, an estimated 5,000 double-jaw surgeries are performed in Korea each year.

RAPID EXPANSION OF PLASTIC SURGERY Such developments are even affecting the considerations of medical students when they select their specialties. Plastic surgery, once among the most sought-after specialties because of the field’s high earning potential, is falling in popularity.

“Becoming a plastic surgeon is no longer the way to go for medical students because, for one thing, there’s no guarantee that (cosmetic surgery) specialists are better than other doctors at what they do,” said Lah Jin-hyeon, a 25-year-old intern doctor said.

For Korean society in general, however, plastic surgery is more popular than ever and has even come to be a normal means of improving one’s “spec”. Spec, short for specifications, is used in Korea to refer to an individu-

al’s qualifications, which are now considered to include physical attractiveness.

“I think getting cosmetic surgery helped a lot in finding a job,” a 29-year-old female accountant said, declining to be named. Although she graduated from a university ranked among the global top 10, she says that she never felt fully confident before she had a number of procedures done. Since graduating from university in 2007, she has had surgery on her eyelids and nose. She has also had braces and had two embedded wisdom teeth removed. She believes that these procedures have made the shape of her face more attractive.

“It’s not that I considered myself to be horrendous, but I thought that if I was better looking it couldn’t hurt. Who doesn’t like a good-looking person? I have to say that I’d hire the better-looking can-

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January 10-16, 2014

didate if two people were similarly qualified in other ways.”

Although she may be an extreme case, surveys show she is not alone in thinking that good looks are an asset.

According to a recent survey conducted by a Web-based recruitment service provider, as many as 30 per cent of university students would consider getting cosmetic surgery to increase their chance of finding employment.

Among local celebrities, plastic surgery has become so prevalent that it is perceived by the public as almost the norm. In areas where broadcasting stations are located, it is not unusual to see clinics advertising their plastic surgeons are being “designated” by this or that broadcaster.

Celebrity admissions to receiving cosmetic procedures have also become much more common. While such revelations were often used in

the past by minor league celebrities as a tactic for gaining public attention, even full-fledged K-pop stars have joined the ranks of celebrities who are “out” about their plastic surgeries.

Celebrities who have recently admitted to having had cosmetic surgeries include Super Junior’s Kim Hee-chul and Minzy (or Gong Min-ji) of 2NE1.

DISPUTES FLARING UP OVER TEENS

As cosmetic procedures become more prevalent, the industry is targeting the younger generations.

Marketing measures aimed at younger age groups include offering discounts for students who have taken the annual College Scholastic Ability Test.

Despite the popularity of cosmetic procedures, not everyone,

particularly those of the older generations, has accepted the trend.

“I think it’s reckless to cut bones and put things in your body just to look better. It’s not as if your DNA changes,” Choi Myeong-duk, a 64-year-old retiree, said. He added that he would oppose the idea of his children getting plastic surgery, and that cosmetic surgery should be reserved for people with deformities.

“I think people are ignoring the fact that what is on the inside is more important. Even ugly people can lead good lives.”

Regardless of the apparent generation gap in perceptions about plastic surgery, the industry has become massive. According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the value of Korea’s market for related services came in at US$4.5

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January 10-16, 2014

billion in 2011. In comparison, the figure for the global market was $20 billion.

Although Koreans have played the biggest role in fuelling the growth, foreigners are providing an increasing market for the domestic industry.

According to government data, the number of medical tourists coming to Korea has had two-digit annual growth rates in recent years and broke the 120,000 mark in 2011.

By nationality, Chinese medical tourists have increased at the fastest rate, going from about 4,800 in 2009 to more than 19,000 in 2011.

Aesthetic services account for the largest portion of the growing number of Chinese medical tour-

ists, with nearly 40 per cent receiving procedures from cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists.

As their numbers grow, services specialised for Chinese customers have sprung up, ranging from clinics that focus on Chinese patients to Chinese-speaking agents. There is even a Chinese-language cosmetic surgery magazine that launched in Korea earlier this year.

Like any other industry, the plastic surgery industry has seen a number of trends come and go, and a recent one is “gwansang” surgery. Gwansang, or face-reading, is a field of fortune-telling where an individual’s facial features are used to tell her or his fate.

Some clinics and even practitioners of traditional Korean

medicine offer face-reading services for those hoping that making specific alterations will positively influence their lives.

Even experts in face-reading, however, say the effects of such plastic surgery is questionable.

“The focus of gwansang is the face, and that is based on the philosophy that the face is the reflection of one’s inner self. So if the heart doesn’t change, then you can’t fundamentally alter your gwansang,” said Jo Kyu-mun, professor of East Asian philosophy at Kyonggi University. “At the same time, it can’t be said that minor changes to gwansang cannot be made through plastic surgery. So, small changes are possible but plastic surgery really isn’t a tool for changing gwansang.”

January 10-16, 2014

Looking natural is a pain PARK HAN-NA The Korea Herald Seoul

A

South Korean actress recently returned to the small screen with a new weekend drama after a two-year hiatus. When the first episode aired, discussion immediately erupted online about whether she had plastic surgery.

Her agency denied the accusation and said her face was swollen because of fatigue while filming.

One online user, however, retorted: “She could say she didn’t go under

COVER STORY

the knife as fillers are not counted as plastic surgery these days.”

It’s not just celebrities.

On Mondays, office workers and students often come back from the weekend with subtly changed faces, which naturally sparks suspicion.

Youn Choon-shik, a dermatologist at Yemiwon Aesthetic Clinic in Gangnam, southern Seoul, defines the latest trend in the Korean cosmetic surgery market as a preference for “natural looks”.

“Patients now prefer natural looks rather than noticeable changes,” Youn said.

In a country where one in five women has undergone cosmetic surgery, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more peo-

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January 10-16, 2014

ple are opting for “petit” surgery.

It refers to simple nonsurgical procedures using injectable fillers or Botulinum toxin type A, better known as Botox.

In 2011, 145,000 Botulinum toxin procedures were performed, making it the most popular in Korea, according to the ISAPS. The figure far exceeded the total number of Korea’s three most popular cosmetic operations—lipoplasty, breast augmentation and rhinoplasty—conducted in the same year which totalled 117,000 procedures. Hyaluronic acid, the most popular type of dermal filler, ranked second on the list with 90,000 procedures.

These “injectables” have been half-jokingly called the “fountain of youth” for the elderly, but now the range of patients includes the very young as well.

“For younger patients it can improve facial deformities and for

the older generation it can offer rejuvenation,” said plastic surgeon Seo Young-tae at ID Hospital.

The facial fillers have strengths that both doctors and patients recognise. They are more affordable than other cosmetic surgeries, and offer instant results and quick recovery.

“I didn’t worry about aftereffects too much because it was just one injection taking only five minutes,” said Min Sung-a, a graduate student who had Botox injected into her jaw muscles to slim down her face, long a concern of hers.

“There wasn’t a huge change in my face shape but some friends told me that I looked like I’d lost weight. It made me feel good.”

Botox is a toxin-based drug that can paralyse the muscle. It is not only used to rejuvenate wrinkled faces but also to reduce the size of the muscles in the calf and jaw.

Fillers, on the other hand, re-

store volume to hollow areas such as tear trough and smile lines.

Kim Hee-joo, a 31-year-old office worker, received injectable fillers to lift her nose tip and boost her confidence.

“My job requires me to have frequent meetings and negotiations with many people. Confidence in appearance is not all but it certainly helps me to deal with other people,” Kim said.

The hospital where she had her consultation recommended liposuction for her chin and a nose job, which would have cost 3.5 million won ($3,300). Instead, she decided to opt for nose filler for 300,000 won.

“I wanted to see how my nose would look if I got a nose job. So I had the filler injection which seemed a lot safer than real surgery,” Kim said.

Youn emphasised the temporary nature of the fillers: “They are not permanent. It’s like you can control

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January 10-16, 2014

and modify clay, unlike cement, which you have to break when it gets solidified.”

Some fillers can be dissolved with another injection and those made from hyaluronic acid are absorbed into the body over time.

But this also means a greater risk of overdosing and more money spent on revisiting the hospital every six months to a year. The prices for dermal filler treatments vary from 50,000 won to over 500,000 won, based on where they are injected and the dosage. Both Min and Kim were told by their surgeons to get another injection in a few months to maintain the effect.

Thanks to a boom in non-invasive cosmetic procedures, South Korea’s filler and Botox market, including both imported and domestically produced products, was worth an estimated 104 billion won in 2012, up from 65.9 billion won in 2010, according to the Ministry

of Food and Drug Safety.

Domestic firms such as Huons, Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. and LG Life Sciences developed their own Botox and filler, targeting the growing international demand.

Doctors also have had to keep up with new injection techniques.

In September, a seminar hosted by the Korean Society of Surgeons, an association with over 2,000 registered medical professionals, expanded programmes related to “petit” surgery.

“We decided to reflect the trend of cosmetic procedures in which surgeons show interest to stay competitive,” said Lee Dong-yoon, head of the association.

Under the current law, Botox and fillers can be injected by any doctor with a medical license.

Not surprisingly, as the market has got bigger, the number

of cases of negative side effects reported has surged as well.

According to data released by nongovernmental organization Consumer Korea, 233 reports of negative side effects related to Botox were filed in the first half of this year. The majority of reports involved inflammation and skin damage. In one severe case, one patient even reported partial loss of vision.

The side effects often hit patients who receive the treatment at hair salons and skin care clinics with no license to administer such injectables. They also sometimes use unproven products that could pose serious risks.

“The most important thing is that you have to find welltrained specialists. You need to look into the doctor’s specialty and how much experience he has. Price is the next thing to think about,” Youn said.

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January 10-16, 2014

Looking like a star YOON MIN-SIK The Korea Herald Seoul

J

ust a decade ago, a celebrity openly talking about his or her plastic surgery was a rare thing. In recent years, however, it’s become not so uncommon for stars to “bravely” confess their experience under the knife.

Popular female singers such as Goo Ha-ra of K-pop girl group KARA and Baek Ji-young have talked about their surgeries on TV. Hwang Kwang-hee of boyband ZE:A has even embraced the gimmick of being a “seonghyeong-dol”

BAEK JI-YOUNG

- (a combination of the Korean words for plastic surgery and idol), making jokes about his numerous surgeries.

With the media no longer making a fuss about plastic surgery, more teenagers are starting to develop positive sentiments toward cosmetic surgeries and, unsurprisingly, many are tempted to go under the knife themselves.

“I think it’s better (for celebrities) to honestly admit that they had plastic surgeries, rather than to lie,” said a 17-year-old high school student. She said that plastic surgery is for “satisfaction with oneself ” and should not be frowned upon.

“We’re too young to actually do it, but we all

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January 10-16, 2014

GOO HA-RA

COVER STORY

January 10-16, 2014

talk about plastic surgery and looks. A lot of my classmates even put on makeup during class,” said a 14-year-old middle school student surnamed Lee. “One of my friends said she will force her parents to allow her to get plastic surgery this winter,” she said.

Kim Dong-ha of BEFOR Plastic Surgical Clinic said that celebrities having a plastic surgery procedure is one of the key motivations that encourages minors to go in for surgery.

“Students look at (celebrities after they’ve had) surgery and think, ‘Wow, they’ve become pretty.’ This gives them the urge to undergo surgery too,” he said.

The threshold for the age at which teenagers experience plastic surgery seems to have lowered significantly in the past few years.

Local plastic surgery clinic ID Hospital said that from January 2011 to May 2013, the proportion

of teenagers among the total number of patients grew from 6.6 per cent to 10.9 per cent. And it is not always kids who tug the hands of their parents, either.

“Some parents try to persuade their children to have plastic surgery, but the kids refuse it,” Kim said. He said not many parents object to their children getting plastic surgery, as long as it is not too risky or expensive.

Another surgeon, Kim Jee-wook of Spropose Plastic Surgery, said those parents are looking to boost their children’s confidence. “From the parents’ perspective, a child’s complex can affect school grades and relationships with classmates.

So if [plastic surgery] helps with children’s morale, parents can react positively toward it,” he said.

Kim added that about 20 per cent of people who visit his hospital for surgical consultations are minors.

Experts say that Korean soci-

ety’s emphasis on appearances is driving teens to take steps to look like their idols.

“With the development of media and social network services, more people are focused on superficial aspects—such as appearances —than actual human relationships,” said Kim Tae-hoon, a psychiatrist at Sarang Samtue Mental Psychiatric Clinic.

Such emphasis on looks is stronger in cyberspace. Many of the profile photos on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook are digitally altered and modified to highlight the users’ positive features.

Kim said that although many of his young patients have complained about problems caused by their looks, he is opposed to the idea that plastic surgery can help students with low self-esteem.

“Many students who have a complex about their looks are not

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January 10-16, 2014

really that ugly. In those cases, I found that the students or their parents are immature,” he said.

Kim added that those parents tend to subliminally think that women “cannot survive unless they are pretty”.

Chun Sang-chin, professor of sociology at Sogang University, attributed the mounting interest in one’s looks to intensified competition within the society. He said the elements of competition are now seen in relationships between friends and even spouses, which have traditionally belonged in the realm of intimacy.

Chun’s interpretation is in line with the typical Korean concept that “looks can give you a competitive edge.” But why does such competition start so early?

“People are seeking to become competent as early as possible. The teenage years used to be a ‘moratorium’ period (for such social com-

petition), but not anymore,” he said.

As more teenagers rush to alter their looks, even plastic surgeons are voicing their concerns about the potential dangers of going under the knife too young.

“For [plastic surgery procedures on] your eyes, you have to be at least in your second or third year in middle school.

And for nose jobs, high school at least,” said Kim Jee-wook of Spropose Plastic Surgery, adding that he would not recommend that youngsters surgically alter their skeletal structure.

He said the best age to go for surgery would be after the Korean age of 20—or 19, as age is determined in the West.

In light of underage plastic surgery becoming a social issue, Saenuri lawmaker Lee Jae-young in January proposed a bill that would ban plastic surgery for those under the age of 19.

The still-pending bill touched off controversy about whether the state has a say in a person’s decision to alter his or her looks. Opponents of the bill say that if the country bans plastic surgery and does not address the problem of people placing too much emphasis on appearance, the law is only going to instigate illegal practices.

Plastic surgeons concur that l egislation is not an ideal way to deal with the issue of underage plastic surgery.

Rather, students and their parents must take precautions and ask themselves: do I really need this surgery? After all, even though plastic surgeons can change a person’s face, make them thinner, or even make them look younger, they are not miracle workers.

“Plastic surgery is not magic. People must not expect for it to change them completely,” said Kim Dong-ha of BEFOR Plastic Surgical Clinic.

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Will travel, get new face LEE WOO-YOUNG The Korea Herald Seoul

A

Chinese woman entered Dr. Park Plastic Surgery in the “beauty Mecca” of Gangnam, known for its cluster of plastic surgery clinics, as the first patient on a Friday morning. She and her two friends were greeted by a Chinese staff interpreter in the lobby.

An hour later, a second set of patients—a father and a daughter from Kazakhstan—came in, and were escorted by a staff interpreter who speaks Russian to examination rooms for a checkup.

On one side of the wall in the lobby hang four plastic boards on which the curriculum vitae of the clinic’s doctor is written in Chinese,

Japanese, Russian and Mongolian— the four major foreign languages of patients who frequent the clinic.

“Thirty per cent of the patients at the clinic are foreigners, coming from China, Japan, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan,” said Park Jae-woo, a doctor at the clinic, in an interview with The Korea Herald.

More foreigners fly to Korea to enhance their looks every year. Their numbers have been growing, with an average annual rate of increase of 75.6 per cent from 2009 to 2012, the highest among medical specialties, according to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute’s data on foreign patients. The number of plastic surgery patients showed a dramatic jump from 2,851 in 2009 to 15,428 in 2012.

“Korean cosmetic surgery is among the best in the world …

Many wealthy people are coming to Korea for cosmetic procedures and other people with average incomes are hoping they’ll be able to visit the

country for cosmetic surgery in the future,” said the Chinese woman at Dr. Park Plastic Surgery through a Chinese interpreter. She wished to remain anonymous.

According to the Chinese interpreter, most of the patients at the clinic are high-profile people in their country, including congressmen, high ranking government officials and CEOs. Doctors said that several factors that attract them to the Far Eastern country is the improved national image of Korea, combined with the immaculate appearances of Korean celebrities on dramas.

“They want a sort of likeness (to Korean stars),” said Park.

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January 10-16, 2014

But patients say it was personal recommendations from their friends and relatives that led them to come.

“My aunt had plastic surgery here, as well as my aunt’s friends and her friends too. Their recommendations helped me choose this clinic,” said Gulsum Muratbay, a 32-year-old female patient from Kazakhstan, who’s staying in Seoul for 17 days for multiple procedures.

Word of mouth and information provided by clinics are becoming two major information sources for foreign patients.

“In the past, many patients had plastic surgery at hospitals they were introduced to through brokers or agencies. They didn’t have a choice when it came to finding the clinic that was best for them. Now, as clinics begin to offer information online and online consultation, more foreigners browse information online and talk to former patients before they make decisions,” said an official of ID Plastic Surgery Hospital in Gangnam, who wished to remain anonymous.

Some brokers without legal licenses have often caused problems, asking for large commission fees, forcing plastic surgeons to overcharge foreign patients up to seven times more than usual or recommending unnecessary procedures.

A few failed cases caused by illegal brokers have been reported in the Chinese media.

As foreign patients are becoming more active in their choice of clinics, they include some travel preferences in their itineraries. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 56.9 per cent of tourists here on medical tourism went shopping or visited famous tourist spots in Korea during their surgery travels.

The Chinese patient at Dr. Park’s clinic also said she planned to go shopping and sightseeing while she stayed in Dongdaemun, one of the popular shopping areas in Seoul for foreigners, for 10-days.

The Korean tourism industry is stepping up to cater to the needs of these visiting patients. Major hotels

in Seoul are teaming up with cosmetic surgery clinics and hospitals in offering accommodation and a diverse range of travel services.

The Ritz-Carlton Seoul is among those arranging accommodation for foreign patients coming to visit nearby cosmetic surgery clinics in Gangnam. The hotel is also one of the few five-star hotels in Korea that has an in-house plastic surgery clinic.

Last year, it launched an $88,000 “anti-aging package” that included a medical checkup, stem cell treatment, plastic surgery, skin care and spa treatment as well as access to the hotel’s restaurants. The package was popular among Chinese tourists.

“The hotel has staff who are assigned to take care of Chinese guests here on medical tourism. We also plan to offer customised service such as one-on-one interpretation and shopping guides guides for major department stores in Seoul during their stay,” said a hotel staff member.

January 10-16, 2014

The dark side of nip and tuck CHUNG JOO-WON The Korea Herald Seoul

W

ith cosmetic surgery common nationwide, so-called “modified faces” have become a regular sight in bustling areas such as Gangnam, Cheongdamdong and Sinsa-dong.

But despite their vast popularity, cosmetic procedures can go awry just like any other medical procedure.

“I had a calf reduction done to become more attractive, but I got the worst out of it,” a woman wrote on Anti-Plastic Surgery Cafe, one of

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the largest online anti-plastic surgery communities.

The patient had her calf muscles involuted for slimmer legs, but ended up suffering acute pain.

“I freaked out when the people at the clinic said my muscle tissues had been partially ripped out,” she claimed.

Even more serious outcomes have been reported for double-jaw surgeries.

“My upper teeth are shaky and aching, and it left 11 teeth cut off from their nerves,” wrote a different woman on an anti-plastic surgery site. She’s now unable to chew, and the left and right side of her face are asymmetrical. “I want to kill myself,” she said.

Experts warn against the danger of risky surgeries, some of which could damage perfectly normal facial bone structures.

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January 10-16, 2014

“Double-jaw surgery is difficult, and carries higher risks. It is recommended for people who have many functional problems of the face,” said a former cosmetic clinic consultant who now runs an anti-plastic surgery community.

Plastic surgery, when poorly performed, can place a crushing financial burden on patients who are already struggling with side effects.

Worse, they often find themselves fighting against surgeons in complex medical disputes.

“The court tries to examine whether the surgeons did their best in explaining the potential adverse effects of the surgeries,” said Choi Chung-hee, a lawyer at Seseung, a law firm specialised in medical disputes. In a positive development for sufferers of serious side effects, courts nowadays tend to give more weight to the mental pain of patients.

But even if a patient wins his case against a doctor, compensation

tends to be very small, according to case reports from the Korea Consumer Agency and court rulings.

In a dispute settlement case reported by the KCA in July, a hospital that did not completely remove the artificial prosthesis from a patient’s nose as requested was found only 50 per cent responsible.

As more surgeries are performed and complex techniques are used, medical disputes are on the rise.

Some doctors said the distorted image of beauty in Korea, often promoted through camera-perfect celebrities, is increasing the risks of plastic surgery.

“I have done breast enlargement surgeries, but I still do not understand women’s desire to have both a skinny body and large breasts,” said a plastic surgeon who used to work at a large cosmetic clinic chain in Gangnam.

“Some patients say they want to have noses that look exactly

the same as certain TV celebrities, but it is almost impossible to make a perfect replica. Frankly, I think a surgery is successful when the final result has roughly 70 per cent or higher synchronicity with the desired goal,” he said.

Psychiatrists said some individuals want to have surgery believing that their looks are the cause of their depression.

“Many people unknowingly seek cosmetic surgery out of an adjustment disorder, rather than depression caused by unsatisfactory looks,” said Yang Jae-jin, a psychiatrist and director of Jin Hospital. Yang was one of the panel members of Let Me In 3, a popular makeover TV show.

According to Yang, it is foolish to have plastic surgery as an ultimate solution for unhappiness.

“Patients must look into all possible outcomes, both positive and negative, before making a decision,” he said.

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My visit to a Korean plastic surgeon CHEONG POH KWAN The Straits Times Singapore

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hen Dr Shim suddenly moved a shiny metal stick towards my left eye, I was too stunned to pull back. I feared he was going to make a cut right there and then.

After all, I had just asked for the cost of double-eyelid surgery, and he could see I was agreeable to his 1.5 million won (US$1,417) price quote.

Thankfully, my concerns about that metal object aimed at my eye were unfounded. He just used it to create a temporary fold. Then he told me to open and shut my eyes a few more times as he repeated the same move before he declared: “Ok, this is optimal.”

That was how I learnt that the natural crease on my eyelids should ideally be a few more milimetres from my lash lines.

He also suggested that I get an epicanthoplasty—a procedure to

have the tiny skin folds covering the inner corners of one’s eyes removed—for another 500,000 won ($472). That, he said, would give me bigger, wider eyes that appear less spaced apart.

This spontaneous consultation —my first with a plastic surgeon —was at one of the hundreds of plastic surgery clinics along Apgujeong-dong, the world-famous beauty belt in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district, yes, the one immortalised in a certain Psy song.

Think Singapore’s Orchard Road or New York’s Fifth Avenue. But instead of shopping malls, this beauty belt is flanked by long stretches of hospital complexes, many plastered with signs indicating what they could “fix”—from unflattering chest sizes to lantern jaws, short limbs and stubby clubbed thumbs, a genetic anomaly made famous by American celebrity Megan Fox.

January 10-16, 2014

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THE STRAITS TIMES

APGUJEONG-DONG, SOUTH KOREA'S FAMOUS BEAUTY BELT, IS FLANKED BY NUMEROUS COMPLEXES THAT EACH HOUSES A FEW PLASTIC SURGERY CLINICS.

January 10-16, 2014

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JUNG YEON-JE/ AFP

A BILLBOARD ADVERTISING DOUBE-JAW SURGERY IN A SUBWAY STATION SEOUL.

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January 10-16, 2014

The sheer number of options is a sure sign of the ballooning demand for surgery-assisted vanity fixes in the Hallyu land.

Bloomberg named South Korea the country with the highest rate of cosmetic surgery, with 13.3 procedures performed for every 1,000 people in 2011.

The number of tourists who visited the country for cosmetic surgery also jumped more than fivefold between 2009 and 2012. The upward trend will likely persist, as the South Korean government has been pulling out all the stops to woo medical tourists with promises of quality care, interpreting service and strict industry regulation.

So when I was right there in the heart of the world’s cosmetic surgery capital—where only the top one per cent of its medical cohort could vie for a place in this lucra-

tive field—I decided that I had to see some of its offerings.

My travel mates and I then picked a building and went straight to its top floor before coming down level by level.

Each time our lift door opened, we were greeted with a standee.

On display was either a perfectly crafted face, or an unbelievably gravity-defying bum. Some clinics have a posh, minimalist deco with soft ambient light, others are pretty much like Singapore’s homely family clinics.

In one clinic, I walked to the registration counter and asked for the price list. Four sweet-faced ladies were standing by, so I figured the chances of one of them speaking English should be high.

None could, though, but one quickly put me on the phone with the clinic’s English-speak-

ing agent. Interestingly, the first thing the man, named Jin, asked was: “Do you speak Bahasa?”

I guess he’s been seeing many Indonesian clients. “You like Korean actress right?” I said yes. Although I have not been following K-dramas and K-pop groups closely, I remember how implausibly gorgeous Kim Ah Joong was in 200 Pounds Beauty, a 2006 film on plastic surgery’s life-changing potential.

Next, Jin told me it’s “very cheap” to get things done in this particular clinic, but the result is “not so good”. Instead, he could recommend the “best surgeons, the ones that the stars go to”.

Then he asked for my hotel and email address. But the moment I uttered “gmail.com”, the very sharp receptionist knew the agent was not helping her, so she nudged me

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January 10-16, 2014

to return the phone, and showed me to the consultation room.

I resisted a little, because I wasn’t prepared to pay the consultation fee, which could be hefty. But I gave in under her insistence, and that’s how I met Dr Shim, a soft-spoken bespectacled man who’s likely in his 30s.

I would have imagined a consultation like this to be an ego-bruising experience, with the surgeon pointing out all your physical flaws right in your face. But Dr Shim turned out to be so different from the pushy facial therapists in my neighbourhood salons.

Never at any point in time did he say anything to the effect of “you’re ugly” or “tsk tsk tsk, this is really bad”. He just let me voice my insecurities, and made recommendations accordingly.

Then is it really cheaper to get yourself “fixed” in South Korea compared to Singapore?

Likely, if you don’t take airfare and accommodation into account.

The double eyelid surgery, for instance, would have cost almost twice as much at S$3,500 (US$2,791, excluding GST, medication fee and consultation fee) in The Sloane Clinic, one of Singapore’s best-known aesthetic practices.

And if I ever run into problems with sharp-eyed immigration officers after getting my new look, Dr Shim said I can always call the clinic for help.

Most importantly, he also very generously waived the consultation fee, since I had not quite asked to see him in the first place.

The idea of braving painful surgery for aesthetic reasons still unsettles me. But I can imagine myself

getting used to the idea, normalising and even embracing it over time—if I were to live in Seoul.

The ads are ubiquitous. The clinics are easily accessible. And every now and then you will read about a pop idol or pageant winner confessing to having this and that “fixed”, and you see for yourself how glamorous they look with the help of surgery.

Even as I was in the airport limousine heading towards Incheon International Airport, all these brochures in the seat pocket in front of me, screamed for my attention with all their eye-catching before-and-after profiles. And just before I boarded my flight, I got an email from Jin on my cellphone.

“Hi, can I pick you up from your hotel tomorrow?”, he wrote.

“No commission, no charge.” ¬

January 10-16, 2014

DATEBOOK

¬ Bangkok Bangkok Fringe Festival It’s that time of the year again where various genres of music, dance and drama, the modern and the traditional, the East and the West, meet in this two-month celebration of the Arts.

When: Throughout January and February Where: Patravadi Theatre,

Thonburi Info: www.patravaditheatre.com

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January 10-16, 2014

ÂŹ Singapore Singapore Airshow 2014

Asia's largest aerospace and defence exhibition, where top aviation and aerospace companies showcase their latest state-of-the-air systems, vessels and equipment.

When: February 11-16 Where: Changi Exhibition Centre Info: www.singaporeairshow.com

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January 10-16, 2014

¬ Johor, Malaysia World Kite Festival An annual event featuring the cultural, sporting and recreational activity of kiteflying, the World Kite Festival is a definite crowd-puller enjoyed by people of all ages spread across varying societies. This year’s event sees the global participation of 30 countries.

When: February 19-23 Where: Bukit Layang-Layang,

Taman Bandar Pasir Gudang, Johor Info: www.vmy2014.com

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January 10-16, 2014

ÂŹ Beijing Shanxi's banks onstage Shanxi province was once the country's financial centre where private banks thrived, enjoying strong capital reserves and a good reputation. Drastic social changes and the introduction of Western banks in the 1910s and 1920s saw the industry decline. An original drama, Li Qiu (Beginning of Autumn), retraces the history of the Shanxi banking industry. Based on a real story, the drama was written by Yao Baoxuan, a Shanxi native, who incorporates the rich local culture into the play. After it premiered in 2004, the drama was an instant critical and commercial success.

When: January 25, 7:30 pm Where: Poly Theatre

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January 10-16, 2014

ÂŹ Shanghai Turkish dance Turkish dance theatre show Fire of Anatolia by Mustafa Erdogan fuses ballet, modern dance and other elements into traditional Turkish movements to depict mythological and cultural history. The company has toured extensively, performing at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Madison Square Garden in New York, in front of the pyramids in Egypt, and most recently in Beijing's Great Hall of the People. On this tour, the company's sixth in China, belly dancer Saniye Sinem Guven plays the lead.

When: January 19, 7:30 pm Where: Shanghai Grand Stage

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January 10-16, 2014

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ÂŹ Japan Coming of Age The Coming of Age festival, or Seijin no hi, in Japan is celebrated on the second Monday of January. All young people who turn 20 that year are celebrated, as 20 is considered the 'beginning of adulthood'. It is also the minimum legal age for voting, drinking, and smoking. This national holiday is celebrated nationwide with those turning 20 donning traditional outfits.

When: January 13 Where: Major shrines and temples

throughout Japan

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