Gangnam plastic surgery clinics penalized over incentivized positive reviews

Signs for plastic surgery and dermatology clinics crowd the facade of a building near Sinsa Station in Gangnam District, Seoul. Korea Times photo by Hong In-kee

Plastic surgery clinics in Seoul’s Gangnam area were hit with administrative sanctions for offering financial incentives to models in exchange for positive reviews without disclosing the arrangement to consumers, a practice regulators deemed deceptive advertising.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Sunday that it had issued corrective orders to View Plastic Surgery Clinic and DA Plastic Surgery Clinic in Gangnam District, as well as AB Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seocho District, for violating the Fair Labeling and Advertising Act. View Plastic Surgery Clinic was also ordered to publicly disclose that it had received the corrective order.

The clinics investigated by the FTC were frequently advertised and prominently featured on online portals. From 2018 through May this year, they offered discounts on cosmetic surgery to clinic-recruited promotional models in exchange for favorable posts about consultations and procedures on online communities and mobile apps that carry reviews of beauty clinics.

A surgery review posted on a medical beauty app by a promotional model for a plastic surgery clinic omits the fact that the model received financial compensation from the clinic. Courtesy of the Fair Trade Commission

The models gave the clinics positive ratings, with one post saying that the writer had undergone facial contouring surgery and was highly satisfied with the result. The reviews, however, did not disclose that the writers had received financial benefits from the clinics.

The FTC said the practice constituted undisclosed sponsored advertising and violated the Fair Labeling and Advertising Act, which prohibits advertisements that deceive or mislead consumers.

“Reviews of surgical procedures are a crucial factor consumers consider when choosing a clinic,” an FTC official said.

The official added that the commission held a meeting last month with the Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons and the Korean Medical Association to brief them on cases that could constitute legal violations. The FTC also said it had shared with the Ministry of Health and Welfare suspected violations of the Medical Service Act uncovered during the investigation.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.