by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
A South Korean woman who evaded police for six years after undergoing plastic surgery was arrested on Aug. 12, reports the Korea Times.
The 57-year-old woman, identified by her surname Yun, became embroiled in an investigation in 2009 after failing to pay salary and severances worth 193 million won ($162,000) to her employees. She had ignored multiple court summons from the prosecution before completely disappearing.
There was a court trial, but Yun failed to make an appearance. Thus, the Seoul Southern District Court sentenced Yun in her absence to eight months in prison in July last year.
After receiving a tip, investigators raided a restaurant in Anseon, Gyeonggi Province, which Yun was suspected of operating. However, they could not find anyone who matched the photo from Yun’s resident card registration.
Shorty after the raid, the restaurant suddenly closed down. Police became suspicious and detained the owner, who they believed to be Yun. They were shocked to find that the owner was indeed Yun, considering that her appearance was completely different from the photo ID they had of her.
Investigators later confirmed that Yun had received cosmetic surgery on her eyes while she was on the run. They had encountered her during their raid of the restaurant but failed to recognize her at the time.
This is not the first time a Korean has used plastic surgery to avoid arrest. A 35-year-old Korean man was finally arrested last March for a nine-month robbery spree that began last year, according to Reuters. The burglar had a cosmetic procedure to alter his jaw and stretch out his limbs. Earlier this year, police arrested another Korean woman who underwent plastic surgery after murdering her married boyfriend.
South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgery per capita in the world. According to Korean sites Onbao and Munhwa, some hospitals issue “plastic surgery certificates” to overseas patients to enable them to pass customs without any problems. Perhaps, more Koreans will be required to have these certificates as well in the near future.
See Also
Dogs Get Botox and Plastic Surgery in South Korea
South Korea to Offer Tax Refunds to Tourists Getting Plastic Surgery
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Featured image courtesy of Aiena Zahira Daim/Flickr
