In 2023, North Korea’s People’s Health website highlighted Dr. Park Geum-seon and other physicians at the Cosmetic Surgery Department of the Ministry of Public Health’s Dental General Hospital, who specialize in reconstructive procedures for medical purposes. The site stated, “The medical staff here have developed various surgical instruments necessary for facial plastic surgery and are actively utilizing traditional Koryo medicine methods in treatment.” (Source: Screenshot from the People’s Health website)
SEOUL, July 4 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea has formally legalized cosmetic surgery for aesthetic purposes under a little-known law dating back to 2016, newly revealed documents show.
While the law permits a broad range of procedures to enhance physical appearance, it also imposes strict restrictions on surgeries deemed to pose security or ideological risks.
According to U.S.-based North Korea monitoring outlet 38 North, the Plastic Surgery Treatment Law, which was revised most recently in February 2024, explicitly supports the development of cosmetic procedures to help citizens “live happy and civilized lives in a healthy and beautiful form” — language cited directly from Article 3 of the legislation.
The law permits surgeries not only for medical conditions such as congenital deformities, burns, or tumors but also for patients who wish to improve their appearance without any underlying injury. This officially sanctions aesthetic surgery in North Korea, a practice previously thought to exist largely outside the formal medical system.
However, the law draws a clear line at procedures that could alter identity or evade state surveillance. Surgeries that “completely transform one’s face to that of another person” or that “modify fingerprints” are strictly prohibited — a likely reflection of internal security concerns, 38 North noted.
Gender reassignment surgery is also broadly banned, except in undefined “exceptional cases.” Even cosmetic procedures common elsewhere, such as eyebrow tattoos, are forbidden if deemed incompatible with the “socialist lifestyle.”
This case was revealed in 2015 by North Korea’s weekly English-language newspaper. It featured Rim Song-mi, a 28-year-old female factory worker from Taegwan County, North Pyongan Province, who suffered severe facial burns in a factory fire in 2006. Over the course of eight years, she underwent a series of plastic surgeries to restore her appearance. The Pyongyang Times published side-by-side photos comparing Rim’s face from four years prior to her current appearance.
All plastic surgeries must be conducted in certified departments of designated central or provincial hospitals by state-qualified specialists. Clinics and local health centers are not authorized to perform such procedures. Medical staff are also legally required to treat patients “kindly and with the utmost care and dedication.”
Penalties for violating the law vary by severity, ranging from unpaid labor to criminal prosecution under North Korea’s penal code.
The law’s full text, published for the first time by 38 North, was found in the legal database of a North Korean smartphone obtained late last year. While the existence of plastic surgery in North Korea has been documented sporadically — including reports of rising demand for double eyelid surgery and eyebrow tattoos — this is the first official confirmation of a nationwide legal framework governing such procedures.
The disclosure suggests either a substantial volume of legitimate procedures or a state response to unregulated and illegal surgeries. In one high-profile case, a report from Daily NK in 2019 claimed an unlicensed facial surgeon was executed for performing unauthorized operations.
Analysts say the law represents an attempt to regulate a growing cosmetic surgery market while reinforcing the regime’s ideological and security priorities.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
