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SEOUL, Jan 27 Asia Pulse - Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, the former
chairman of South Korea's ruling Grand National Party, became a
target of gossip for his tattooed eyebrows several months ago,
with some local media comparing him to the bushy-eyebrowed
cartoon character in the popular smartphone game Angry Birds.
It is no secret that President Lee Myung-bak had a hair
implant before he was elected. Prosecutor-turned National
Assemblyman Park Joo-sun of the opposition Democratic Unity
Party reportedly received a hair implant at the same clinic.
Prosecutor-General Han Sang-dae transplanted hair from the
back of his head to the top last year before he assumed the
post.
The late President Roh Moo-hyun had an upper eyelift surgery
while he was in office to "remove the sagging skin that
disturbed the natural contours of his upper eyelid."
An increasing number of middle-aged, ordinary men in Korea
are also paying attention to grooming to look younger and more
energetic. Those who are aspiring to be "kkotjungnyeon,"
translated directly as flower middle-aged men, have been
emerging as major customers in the cosmetics, fashion, beauty
and even cosmetic surgery markets.
The growth in these markets is fueled by baby boomers
entering their 50s, who shop much more than their fathers and
grandfathers ever did, either for themselves or for their
families.
According to Euromonitor International, a global market
researcher, Korea is the world's biggest market of male
skincare products. Korean men spent 425.7 billion won on
skincare products in 2010, which accounted for 18 per cent of
global sales. Korea was followed by China,...