Gen Z soldiers' plastic surgeries strain Korea's military readiness

“First Lt. Kim, a platoon leader at a front-line South Korean Army unit in the capital region, faced a unique command challenge early this year. He excluded a corporal from critical cold-weather training because the soldier returned from leave with a swollen, unhealed nose from a rhinoplasty procedure. "I was flustered because he underwent a nose job without saying a word right before the training," Kim said. He added that he sidelined the soldier out of fear that the unhealed wound would cause medical complications in the field. Kim's dilemma is not an isolated incident. A growing trend of elective cosmetic surgery among active duty Korean soldiers, fueled by rising military pay and aggressive clinic marketing, is causing operational disruptions, exposing a critical gap in military regulations. The trend is also triggering resentment among peers who must cover the workload while recovering soldiers receive special accommodations. Plastic surgery in the military is not new. Historically, units tolerated the practice when soldiers used long leaves in their final months of service to undergo

Summary generated from the RSS feed of Korea Times Southkorea. All article rights belong to the original publisher. Click through to read the full piece on www.koreatimes.co.kr.