[Expressions & Idioms] Handsome or Charming

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South Korea has earned the title of "plastic surgery capital of the world," with a 197 percent growth in total cosmetic treatments from 1997 to 2011, according to utsynergyjournal.org.

According to Business Insider, there were more than 980,000 procedures in 2014. This equates to 20 operations per 1,000 persons, much above the 13 procedures per 1,000 in the United States.


Photo by Sam Moqadam on Unsplash

Plastic surgery now has become a mainstream culture instead of a counterculture in South Korea as ‘외모지상주의(lookism)’ has spread throughout the country. One's appearance often has a significant impact on their professional achievement and interpersonal interactions. Even though the correlation between appearance and success is not new or exclusive to South Korea, ‘외모지상주의(lookism)’ has led many people to undergo cosmetic surgery in order to attain social and professional success. 

Luckily, from around 2010, ‘매력(charm)’ has become almost as important of a value as being ‘pretty’ or ‘physically attractive’ in Korea. Calling someone ‘매력있다(charming)’ has become a popular way of complimenting someone without directly commenting on their physical appearance. 

Ex) 

A: 다음에는 현수랑 같은 조별과제 팀 되면 좋겠다. 현수 너무 멋있어!
I hope I will be in the same team as Hyun-Soo for the next team project. He’s so hot!

B: 걔가 외모가 뛰어난 것 같지는 않은데… 왜 멋있어 보이는거야?
I don’t think he’s physically that attractive. What makes you think that he’s so hot?

A: 라이언고슬링처럼 잘생긴건 아니지만, 너무 매력 있잖아.
A: He’s not like Ryan Gosling handsome, but he’s so charming and charismatic.

B: 아 그렇구나. 무슨 말인지 알 것 같기도 하다.
B: I guess I get what you mean.

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