From the Korea Herald magazine
After a yearlong hiatus from the limelight, sultry pop singer Baek Ji-young made her comeback appearance last week on a cable sitcom, “Home Sweet Home,” in which she showed off her new skills as an actress, as well as what seemed to be the handiwork of a highly paid plastic surgeon.
The court of public opinion was held, not surprisingly, on the Internet. For most netizens, the fact that she had some form of face work was a foregone conclusion; now it was a matter of wondering whether Baek had gone too far, even in a culture that expects its celebrities to have some form of beauty enhancement or another.
“Her face has changed so much. I could hardly recognize her,” said one participant on a celebrity chat site on Naver.com.
“Korea’s most representative artificial human,” offered another.
The 26-year-old pop star, who solidified her reputation as a sexy, young upstart during her 1999 debut, is no stranger to controversy.
In 2000, she was embroiled in an infamous sex scandal when a video showing her in bed with her former manager began circulating around the Internet. After spending two years in virtual hiding from public scrutiny, she returned in 2003 with sporadic concert appearances. She disappeared again for an entire year, re-emerging only recently when she released a promotional photo the evening before her television appearance.
Countless dailies and Internet blogs have posted past and present photos of her face, commenting on the drastic changes to her eyes, nose and jaw.
Although Baek has declined comment, her manager issued a statement that attributed her new look to “exercise and yoga.”
“I heard she lost weight and all, but does losing weight mean that your face changes shape as well?” posted a netizen. “The fact that she is saying that is really funny.”
But many regard her new look as a shrewd publicity ploy to jumpstart yet another moribund career in the Korean entertainment scene.
Baek is the latest in a handful of fading stars, including Ok Ju-hyun, a former member of Finkl, who has made a comeback with the help of a changed appearance.
By Warren Lee
2005.01.22
2 Comments
She was prettier beforehand.
erm, cant really tell if she had surgery in her eyes, since when korean ppl smile, their eyes smile… even if they are naturally big eye… i know my friend eyes squints like that, but once she opens it, its whola… massive!!
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