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So toxisch ist Koreas Diätkultur wirklich... — Transcript

by Katharina Kin · 6,234 words · 957 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:01If you simply type K-P Diet into
0:02YouTube or other social media platforms
0:04, you will encounter an incredible
0:06number of videos from recent years
0:08where people test these K-Pop diets and
0:10attempt to lose as much weight as
0:12possible within only a few weeks, all
0:14in the hope of finally achieving the
0:16physique of a K-Pop star for themselves
0:18. I want to tell you in advance that
0:21this lifestyle and these diets are
0:22certainly not for the faint of heart,
0:24because what one very often fails to
0:25see when doing this is the other side.
0:29K-Pop idols who faint on stage, who
0:31tell interviews that they only ate ice
0:33cubes for days, or that they were even
0:35afraid to fall asleep because they were
0:37so weak from malnutrition and were
0:39afraid that they wouldn’t wake up
0:41again. And these are not isolated cases
0:44. This has been an issue throughout the
0:45entire industry for years, and it does
0:47not remain confined to that sphere
0:49alone; it spreads to our entire society
0:51, which deals with the topics of beauty
0:52and slimness in an extremely obsessive
0:54manner, affecting the lives of everyone
0:56involved. It has almost become a kind
0:59of social currency. The whole process
1:01begins with the fact that the body
1:03ideal in South Korea, particularly for
1:05women, is very strongly associated with
1:07being slim and delicate. What is
1:10repeatedly emphasized are long, slim
1:12legs, narrow hips, a very small waist,
1:14and thin arms, where in some cases even
1:16visibly protruding bones are regarded
1:18as a desirable feature of beauty. For
1:21example, the bone arm trend was
1:23relatively widespread there last year.
1:26At the same time, and this point is
1:27essential, the body should not appear
1:29muscular, but rather, on the contrary,
1:31it should seem a bit fragile. Closely
1:33linked to this is an ideal of
1:35youthfulness and cuteness found in
1:37many areas of Korean pop culture. In
1:43these spheres, an appearance is
1:45idealized that seems almost childlike,
1:47which, in my opinion, also leaves a bit
1:48of a negative aftertaste. It is a trend
1:50that permeates various aspects of the
1:50culture and shapes how an image is
1:50projected and perceived by the public,
1:50carrying those subtle implications. It
1:50is incidentally a similar situation for
1:52men, so there is no such thing as being
1:53pumped up or having a gigantic jawline.
1:55Rather, the opposite is true; except
1:57for a large body size, the image of
1:58masculinity there deviates quite
2:00strongly from our own conception of
2:02what a masculine man is. The jaw, for
2:04example, should also have this soft
2:06V-line shape. The body should be
2:08defined, but not appear too broad or
2:11bulky, but rather quite slim. In
2:13general, very similar rules apply to
2:15women. In addition to that, in Korea,
2:18it is not only a matter of being as
2:20slim as possible, but it is explicitly
2:22a matter of how tall the body is and
2:24how much the body weighs. For example,
2:26there is a rule for the ideal height,
2:28which is measured in heads. The perfect
2:31height is therefore eight head lengths
2:33high, but also something like the leg
2:35circumference. The legs, for instance,
2:37should ideally be proportioned in a
2:38ratio of 5:32, and the number on the
2:40scale is not considered a private
2:41matter there; rather, it is something
2:43for which very specific calculations
2:44and strict rules are established, and
2:46which, above all, is also discussed
2:47with the utmost openness by those who
2:49are involved in these particular
2:50circumstances. 몸무게 어느 정도
2:55된다고 보세요? 50km 초반. I am
2:59about 167 cm tall, and I feel that a
3:04weight in the high 40s is needed to
3:08look slim. My height is about 165 cm,
3:12and I weigh 50 kg. What is the most
3:20popular body shame country in the world
3:28?...Regardless of how tall they are, I
3:38get called fat here on a daily basis.
3:40And then I get asked about my weight. I
3:43was just out to dinner with a few
3:44people, a few friends. Then I was asked
3:47about my weight, so I told them what it
3:48was, and then they cited the Quran,
3:49telling me that I should not lie
3:50because I would actually weigh more
3:51than I had stated. And I was like: "Oh
3:54my God, how mean is it possible for
3:55someone to be?" And then they also
3:57added that my face would appear much
3:59prettier and slimmer if I were to lose
4:00some weight, according to what they
4:02said. And I was like: Where the hell?
4:05Where am I supposed to lose weight?
4:06Weighing yourself every day is
4:07considered normal, just like openly
4:09commenting on the weight of others and
4:11losing more weight, even when you are
4:13already in an underweight condition.
4:15Almost 20%of underweight people in
4:17Korea still attempt to lose weight, and
4:19nearly a third of young women, whose
4:21body weight is actually within a very
4:23healthy range, consider themselves to
4:26be far too fat. And exactly this
4:27pressure manifests itself in all
4:29possible areas of our everyday lives.
4:31On steps that display how many calories
4:33you burn as you walk up them, in
4:35clothing stores that frequently only
4:37stock one size, in so-called zero
4:39cafés and shops that advertise their
4:41entire product range as having zero
4:43sugar or zero calories, or in an entire
4:45city district where it feels as though
4:47weight loss medications are being
4:49thrown at you from every single street
4:51corner. More on all these points later.
4:56The thing is, this obsession with being
4:58thin is here probably—at least from
5:00what I have seen and read about it—as
5:02present and as deeply rooted in society
5:04and in our everyday lives as it is in
5:06no other place on this entire planet.
5:09And yes, maybe you could also say, okay
5:10, why should I care about what is
5:11happening there, it is so very far away
5:13from us regardless. But is it really?
5:16Maybe we are not all that far away from
5:17it after all, and perhaps this whole
5:18topic actually affects us a little bit
5:20more than we might be inclined to
5:21believe. And that's exactly what I want
5:24to talk about later. Before we delve
5:26any deeper into this topic, I would
5:28like to take this moment to give a
5:29quick shoutout to the partner of
5:30today's video, which is none other than
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6:01products. And I personally appreciate
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6:07of skin has been a constant companion
6:09to me since I reached puberty. Ever
6:10since then, I have had constant
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6:15significant burden for me to deal with.
6:16The problem was also that I was
6:18constantly trying out any new hyped
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6:21was that my skin actually needed in
6:22order to stay healthy. And when you
6:24consider what it was that she actually
6:25needed, it was, quite frankly, not all
6:26that much. For example, my evening
6:28routine now also consists solely of the
6:30fact that I simply cleanse my face by
6:31using the cleanser. Then I apply my
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6:35go over it once more with my
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6:43observe how it has transformed and,
6:44most importantly, finally stabilized
6:46since I started following my new
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6:49doctors at any time, benefit from
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7:08also begin your own personal skin
7:10analysis by clicking on the link
7:11provided down in the description. Now,
7:13let us travel back to South Korea,
7:15where we will first examine a specific
7:17area in which this extreme and
7:18extremely toxic diet culture is, in all
7:20likelihood, the most visible to the
7:22public eye. If you engage with South
7:28Korean culture, sooner or later you
7:30will inevitably encounter the topic of
7:32K-pop, which I would say has developed
7:34into a huge global phenomenon over the
7:36course of the last decade. It is almost
7:38like its own little, perfectly staged
7:40world, and many people are fascinated
7:42by it, a sentiment that I can certainly
7:44understand quite well myself. I am not
7:46that deeply immersed in this world, but
7:48sometimes I do have Pink Pantress
7:50playing in the background, or whenever
7:52I happen to see something from it,
7:53whether it be the music or those
7:55perfectly synchronized choreographies
7:57of the bands and the impressive stage
7:59shows. It's just super fascinating and
8:02right in the middle of it all are these
8:04incredibly thin bodies that seem to
8:06function effortlessly, but behind this
8:08facade there is often something
8:10completely different going on, because
8:12these bodies are usually not a product
8:14of chance. It is certainly true that
8:16there are K-pop stars who are naturally
8:18very, very slim, but often it is simply
8:20the result of a system that does not
8:22merely view being thin as an absolute
8:24beauty ideal, but also utilizes that
8:26thinness as an essential prerequisite
8:28for achieving success. Many K-pop idols
8:30have also spoken quite openly about all
8:32their diets in recent weeks, and these
8:34are not just the "I will cut back a
8:35little on sugar and prepare for the
8:37stage shows" type of diets. No, these
8:39are extreme diets that, in some cases,
8:41consist of only a few select foods,
8:43while at the same time, mind you, the
8:45individual is also training for several
8:47hours each day. The worst K-pop diet
8:49that ever was on when I was a K-pop
8:51singer right before my debut. This
8:53outfit that became a problem. So, I
8:55tried it out and the guy who was there
8:56who was working as a staff member, he
8:58was kind of really mean. He said, "If
8:59you don't lose the weight, within 2
9:01weeks the music video is out. You're
9:03not doing it anymore." So, obviously I
9:04was freaking out and I was like, "I
9:06need to go on a diet." So, what I did?
9:08So, the staff there, they were watching
9:10me as well. They gave me a little bit
9:12of like chicken breast, a little bit of
9:14spinage, and I had like two, three
9:15clementines a day, which was like in
9:17total less than 500 calories a day for
9:19weeks. As a K-pop singer was about to
9:22debut, like you are dancing and singing
9:24for like 14 hours straight. The diet
9:27plan of the singer EU is likely one of
9:29the most well-known of all, and if you
9:31simply search for EU diet or EU diet
9:32challenge, you will come across an
9:34incredible number of videos from people
9:35who have decided to try out this
9:37specific diet for themselves. Day one
9:39of my series Eat a potato. My first
9:41attempt is level extremely hard. I'm
9:43probably not going to succeed. This IU
9:45diet went viral in Korea years ago. I'm
9:46starting my morning with a sweet potato
9:48shake that I got from a Korean
9:49convenience store. For lunch, she has
9:50an apple. That's right, one apple. For
9:52dinner, we're going to have a sweet
9:54potato. I was starting to get really,
9:56really hungry, so I gobbled this down
9:57so quickly. And that was it for her
9:59diet.
9:59Momo from Twice has shared that she was
10:01required to lose 7 kilograms in just 7
10:03days before her official debut. I have
10:05no idea how that was possible. And as a
10:06result, she only consumed ice cubes for
10:07an entire week, while at the same time
10:09she was spending a great deal of her
10:10time at the gym. And even then, she was
10:12afraid of gaining weight from the ice
10:14cubes. What she was also very afraid of
10:16was falling asleep, because she felt so
10:18incredibly weakened and frail as a
10:20result of that persistent malnutrition.
10:43Such statements are often simply
10:45mentioned in passing as part of one's
10:47career and success. But they also show
10:50how normalized extremely restrictive
10:51eating behavior is in this industry,
10:53and of course the whole thing has
10:55extreme consequences. A member of the
10:57former girl group, for instance, shared
10:59that her extreme dieting went so far
11:00that she eventually developed a medical
11:02condition, where her ear lost the
11:04natural ability to regulate pressure
11:06properly as a direct result of the
11:07severe weight loss she experienced over
11:09that period of time. For instance, a
11:11member of Sister simply collapsed on
11:13the street following an extreme diet
11:15and subsequently ended up in the
11:16hospital. She later shared that her
11:19very first thought was not, “I hope
11:21that I feel better soon,” but rather,
11:22“What will happen if I gain weight
11:24because of the infusion?” This simply
11:27shows how deeply rooted this whole
11:28thing is, especially in this industry,
11:30and that even in moments of extreme
11:32physical weakness, the biggest problem
11:33is the fear of gaining weight. And this
11:36does not just start when someone is
11:38already famous, but very often much
11:39earlier within these training systems
11:41or the so-called Child Star Factories.
11:45Here, children as young as nine are
11:46placed into these rigorous training
11:48programs, where they spend hours each
11:50day practicing dance, singing,
11:52languages, and performance, all in the
11:54hope that they might eventually become
11:56a world-famous K-pop star. Their
11:59personality, their charisma are shaped
12:01there, and of course their bodies,
12:03which are constantly monitored. 살짝
12:12리고 있는 거야. 후해. 옳지
12:14후해. 내려가. 내려 가자. 야,
12:18하고 있어요. 빼봐. 너 한테
12:21몇 번 얘기 하니? 애들 다 알
12:23잖아. 어, 몇 번 얘기? In
12:31addition to all the facial procedures
12:33that are recommended to the trainees
12:34there in order to get their careers off
12:36the ground, there are also very clear
12:38requirements regarding their body type.
12:40According to reports, there is a size
12:43-120 formula in many parts of the
12:45industry, where the height is
12:47calculated by minus 120 and that is
12:49supposed to give the ideal weight. So,
12:52if the average height of Korean women
12:54is somewhere between 160 and 165, then
12:56you can easily calculate for yourself
12:58what the ideal body weight should be in
13:00that specific case. It is obviously far
13:02too low. Former trainees also tell of
13:04weekly weight checks, during which they
13:06are not simply weighed individually,
13:07quietly, and secretly by the trainers
13:09while the rest of the group is waiting
13:10around. No, the weight is read out loud
13:13in front of everyone. 진짜 and if
13:40someone is above the target value, the
13:41food they eat is drastically reduced. I
13:54also stumbled upon these strange videos
13:56in which managers take food right out
13:58of K-pop idols 'hands, or where snacks
14:00and plates are simply pulled away from
14:02them without a single word of
14:03explanation. Many K-pop stars share
14:23that hunger eventually becomes the norm
14:25, that you simply grow accustomed to
14:27dancing on an empty stomach and that
14:28the persistent feeling of physical
14:30weakness is almost just part of it. But
14:32all of this is not just a K-pop
14:34phenomenon. K-pop is probably just the
14:36tip of the iceberg and the place where
14:38the whole thing becomes extremely
14:40visible. However, this whole mindset
14:42behind it has been firmly anchored
14:44within Korean society for a relatively
14:46long period of time. The reason why
14:51this whole diet craze works so
14:53effectively within the music industry
14:54is that physical appearance holds such
14:56a significant status in South Korea;
14:57while we are certainly familiar with
14:59this concept to a certain degree from
15:01here, the importance of looks is
15:02integrated into everyday life there in
15:04a much more consistent and present way,
15:05exerting a level of influence that goes
15:07far beyond what we know. Incidentally,
15:10there is also a term for this that is
15:11used in Korea itself, which is lookism,
15:13meaning discrimination that is based
15:14entirely upon a person's outward
15:16physical appearance. Appearance here
15:18functions almost like a form of social
15:19currency and acts as a determining
15:21factor in how an individual manages to
15:22get through their daily life. And that
15:24includes not only the face, make-up,
15:26and styling, but also quite
15:27specifically the body and, above all,
15:29one's weight, because it supposedly
15:31shows how disciplined you are and to
15:32what extent you have yourself and your
15:34own body under control. And that is
15:36precisely what is being expressed here
15:37in such a clear and distinct manner.
15:38Bodies are being judged and commented
15:40on within the circle of friends and
15:42family. Body shaming in Korea is, as it
15:44happens, a very, very big issue. At
15:46least for me, when the people here in
15:48Korea decide to body-shame you, they do
15:50it in a way that is on a completely
15:52different level. Best of Korean girl. I
15:56always felt pressure to be thinner. In
16:00Korea, people comment on your body
16:05casually. Even family, it's just normal
16:09. A lot of the family members usually
16:11as I mention if you gain a bit of
16:13weight you say something. In public and
16:25, quite especially, on social media
16:27platforms, the physical bodies of K-Pop
16:28stars are also being analyzed in terms
16:30of proportions. Before and after
16:31results are celebrated, but stars are
16:33also body-shamed when they gain weight.
16:36For example, Jong Sean from the K-pop
16:38band Twice, who has received and
16:40continues to receive extremely
16:42disgusting comments after gaining
16:44weight. Or Hwasa from Mamamoo, who is
16:46still considered a plus-size idol and
16:48is shamed by many because she does not
16:51conform to the typical K-pop body image
16:53, and that is simply crazy in my eyes.
16:56Most Koreans, however, do not simply
16:57view this practice of body evaluation
16:59as being an absolute taboo. And I
17:00believe that is also what makes their
17:02mindset a little bit different from our
17:04own one. I believe most of us simply
17:06find it to be extremely disrespectful
17:07when someone comes up to greet us and
17:09starts off by saying, "Hey, you have
17:10gained quite a bit of weight, haven't
17:12you?" In Korea, however, it's
17:14relatively normal to do that. To say
17:16you have lost weight or you have gained
17:17weight as a way of greeting is
17:19something that has become almost
17:20standard. And especially within the
17:22family context, it is often simply
17:23understood as a mere statement or even
17:25as a specific form of personal care.
17:27And when you grow up with exactly that,
17:29then your body logically becomes
17:31something that is under constant
17:32scrutiny and is also constantly being
17:34commented on, even by the very people
17:36who are supposed to be the ones who
17:37love you. According to a 2020 Gelop
17:40survey, 89%of Koreans believe that
17:42their body has a significant influence
17:45on their lives. Then, of course, I also
17:47asked myself, okay, how did Korea
17:49actually reach this point? Many people
17:52immediately think of K-Pop or the
17:53influence of social media, and yes, in
17:55Korea, the people themselves say that
17:56they are a nation that is driven to a
17:58very large extent by the latest trends.
18:14However, the truth is that all of this
18:16pressure already existed before social
18:18media arrived. Many people attribute
18:20what we are seeing there now to the
18:21extremely rapid developments that Korea
18:22has experienced over the course of
18:24recent decades. Especially after the
18:25Korean War, starting in the 1960s,
18:27South Korea developed at record speed
18:29from being one of the poorest countries
18:31in the world into a high-tech industry
18:33nation, undergoing a truly remarkable
18:35transformation. And this remarkable
18:37rise is frequently referred to as the
18:39Miracle on the Han River. This has
18:41resulted, quite suddenly, in a society
18:42that is shaped to an extreme degree by
18:44performance and competition,
18:45particularly within the education
18:47system, as well as in areas concerning
18:49things such as career paths, income
18:50levels, and social status. And this
18:52enormous pressure also has a rather
18:54dark downside, because South Korea has
18:56had the highest suicide rate among all
18:58OECD countries for many years now,
19:00which is a significant concern. In 2023
19:03, the figure stood at about 23 deaths
19:05per 100,000 inhabitants, which is more
19:08than twice as high as the OECD average
19:10of 10.7. What is particularly striking
19:13is that suicide rates are also rising
19:14among young people. Among 15 to 19-
19:16year-olds, the rate has roughly doubled
19:18between the years 2000 and 2024. These
19:19high rates naturally also have a great
19:21many other economic and, above all,
19:23social causes that must be taken into
19:24account when looking at the situation.
19:26And all of that is also quite a massive
19:27subject that stands entirely for itself
19:28. But the point is quite simple: many
19:30researchers nowadays describe South
19:32Korea as a type of hyper-competitive
19:34society, in which individuals
19:35constantly compete for jobs and
19:37university placements, but also for
19:38things such as social status,
19:40recognition, and even their own
19:41physical appearance. Over the course of
19:43time, the notion has increasingly
19:44developed that if you are a disciplined
19:46person, then that is something that
19:47will also show in your physical body.
19:49So it's no wonder that almost 90%of
19:51Koreans believe that their appearance
19:53has a significant impact on their lives
19:54. And this is not only evident in their
19:57private lives, but also in the job
19:59market. In 1994, for example, the
20:01public prosecutor's office was charged
20:03with discrimination against women on
20:05the basis of their appearance. A total
20:08of 44 leading South Korean companies
20:10were reported because they had
20:11stipulated that women must be over 1.60
20:13m tall and weigh less than 50 kg as a
20:15mandatory prerequisite for being
20:17considered for employment at their
20:19various organizations. As a direct
20:21result of this, a new section was
20:23inserted into the law in 1995, which
20:24explicitly prohibits the use of factors
20:26like personal appearance and body
20:28measurements as selection criteria when
20:29hiring new female employees for
20:31positions within the company.
20:32Nevertheless, until 2019, nearly every
20:34company exclusively accepted
20:35applications that included professional
20:37photos, and many additionally required
20:38applicants to provide details regarding
20:40their height, weight, or even specific
20:42information about their parents. It is
20:44also no secret that HR professionals
20:45still pay a great deal of attention to
20:47whether a person appears likeable,
20:49looks beautiful and disciplined, and is
20:51well-proportioned in their overall
20:52physical appearance. A survey shows
20:54that over 40%of those surveyed have
20:56experienced discrimination on the basis
20:58of their body when applying for jobs.
21:00And just how deeply rooted this whole
21:02thing is becomes apparent within a
21:03great many different areas of our
21:05everyday lives. For example, on stair
21:07steps that display how many calories a
21:09person burns when climbing them, or
21:11alternatively, directly on public
21:12playgrounds. Yes, right next door there
21:14is actually an area where you can test
21:16yourself to see whether you are thin
21:18enough. This level of body shaming in
21:20Korea is simply insane. I happened to
21:22walk past this thing here earlier today
21:24, just like that. I have no idea what
21:25it is called, but it is meant to simply
21:26inform you about how serious the
21:27situation regarding your belly fat
21:28actually has become. My friends
21:30translated it for me, and they said
21:31that if you can just barely manage to
21:32fit through on the far right side, then
21:33things are already in a very bad state.
21:41As a game and you want to beat the game
21:43, you shouldn't be like this, which
21:45kind of ss like a threat. Chub. The
22:02market for zero-calorie products is
22:04exploding, as are entire stores, cafés
22:06, and restaurants that feature
22:07offerings of zero-calorie items or
22:09meals that are suitable for those on a
22:11diet. And we're now trying out a
22:12zero-calorie store, where everything is
22:14supposed to have zero calories. Oh my
22:16god, let's even look at
22:21your favorite.
22:24This trend, or perhaps it is more
22:26accurate to call it an entire market
22:28shift, is also being marketed under the
22:30term healthy pleasure. It means that
22:32you can treat yourself to something
22:34without having to feel guilty or bad
22:36about it. And so one can simply notice
22:38how very closely this diet culture is
22:40linked to both our self-esteem and our
22:42own personal conscience. Another area
22:44in which this becomes quite clear is
22:46the fashion industry, and that is
22:47especially true when we consider the
22:49Freeize clothing line. Freeize is the
22:50Korean term used to describe clothing
22:52that is currently available in only one
22:54single size. It is somehow also a bit
22:55ironic that it is called freeize,
22:57although it is in actual fact
22:58everything else but free. F stands for
23:05free. So free size is basically the
23:08idea that it's like stretchable. So if
23:11you're a Korean person you should be
23:13able to fit one size fits all we wanted
23:14to see if the men's clothes had more
23:16realistic sizes. So I kind of want to
23:19try this one because it says here of
23:21which stands for overfit and it's the
23:23idea that it's like a bag fit. So yeah
23:27I don't know man. I literally cannot
23:29fit my head through it. That's supposed
23:30to be like a bag fit. In this article
23:35from the Asia News Network, a female
23:37student who was interviewed explains
23:39that even in locations such as Hong Day
23:40or at the shopping centers near Gangnam
23:42Station, most of the nice clothing
23:44items that she had wanted to purchase
23:46were exclusively available at Freeize.
23:48In high school, I was overweight, 170
23:50cm tall and weighed 65 kg. So my goal
23:53was to lose 10 kg to fit in. But
23:57according to a professor of textile
23:59arts and fashion design, the whole
24:01thing has much more to do with
24:02simplified inventory management than
24:04necessarily with body shaming. So it is
24:06simply much more cost-effective for
24:08manufacturers to produce only one
24:09single size, in order to reduce the
24:11amount of excess inventory they must
24:13hold. However, she also notes that many
24:16Korean women who feel they do not fit
24:17into this specific category may
24:19perceive themselves as being overweight
24:21or as having various personal flaws.
24:24Instead of questioning the sizing
24:26system, they choose to internalize the
24:27blame and redirect it toward their own
24:29bodies instead. This mindset could
24:31potentially contribute to an increase
24:33in plastic surgeries, restrictive diets
24:35, and even an addiction to various diet
24:38pills. And yes, speaking of diet pills,
24:40another massive component of this
24:42entire system has now become the
24:43flourishing market for various weight
24:45loss medications. Classic appetite
24:51suppressants have been very popular in
24:53Korea for many, many years. Even 20
24:55years before Wegovi, Osemp, or Monjar,
24:57there was already a fairly established
25:00culture around prescription weight loss
25:02drugs. Pentamine, for example, has been
25:05widely used in South Korea since 2004.
25:07The drug acts on the central nervous
25:09system to reduce the feeling of hunger.
25:12It is intended only for short-term use,
25:14usually just a few weeks, because
25:15treatment can sometimes lead to serious
25:17side effects, such as rapid heartbeat,
25:19insomnia, or severe psychological
25:20changes that patients may experience
25:22over the course of their medication.
25:24According to the Korean Ministry of
25:25Health, there were more than 3.3
25:27million Koreans who were prescribed
25:28such appetite suppressants in the year
25:302020 alone. At some point, the new
25:32generation of diet medications, the
25:34GLP1 drugs, was also added into the mix
25:36as a natural development. In 2017, for
25:38example, Saxenda with the active
25:40ingredient liutide was approved as a
25:42weight loss drug. Wegovy then arrived
25:44on the Korean market in October 2024
25:47and, according to industry reports, was
25:49in such extremely high demand within
25:51just a few days that it resulted in
25:53immediate shortages. Monjaro was also
25:56approved there in 2024 and then
25:58launched in 2025. And yes, that is of
26:00course something we are seeing and
26:02experiencing here. The huge hype
26:04surrounding these new GLP1 drugs, which
26:06have become one of the most hyped
26:08weight loss tools of recent years,
26:10primarily through social media, but
26:12also through Hollywood and celebrities
26:14in general. But here again, it is the
26:16case that the whole thing is so firmly
26:18and presently integrated into everyday
26:20life and life in Korea. In Seoul,
26:23there's even an entire district, Jong,
26:25which is referred to by many media
26:27outlets as a kind of smear campaign for
26:29weight loss drugs. An incredible number
26:32of clinics and pharmacies have settled
26:34here, and a particularly large portion
26:36of them have specialized in the rapid
26:38prescription of specific medications
26:40such as Vegovi or Monjar. And just how
26:43quickly you can actually get hold of
26:44them is demonstrated here by YouTuber
26:46Will Tennison in his little
26:48self-experiment, for which he traveled
26:49to South Korea. 네. 이 외국인
26:52친구 인데요. 그 마 운자 로나
26:55위 고비 처방 을 받고 싶어서
27:1190. Yeah. What is your normal body? I
27:16get shredded. Mm. After I gave the
27:19doctor my height, weight and goal, he
27:21implemented my stats into a BMI chart
27:23and called me obese. If you have some
27:26weights about the 15 kg, you will
27:28entrance to the normal and I'll be
27:30healthier. Perfect. The doctor is
27:34telling me I have to lose 15 kg or 33s
27:36without any sort of background
27:38knowledge of my medical history or even
27:40my body composition as fat and muscle
27:43ratios greatly impact your BMI score
27:45and these lax measures are causing
27:47serious harm. And just like that,
27:49within a matter of minutes, I got a
27:51prescription adding to Korea's major
27:53drug misuse problem. All right. So,
27:55this is pretty insane. We got it super
27:57easily with like 10 minutes. King
28:07aboutildingight.
28:12It is just so crazy that he is able to
28:14get his prescription in only a matter
28:15of a few minutes. The doctor then
28:16merely asks for his height and weight,
28:18only to determine that he is severely
28:19overweight and that he ought to lose at
28:21least 15 kg. And things like muscle
28:23mass or fitness were simply not taken
28:25into account by the doctor at all,
28:26which can obviously be extremely
28:28dangerous. There are also reports that
28:31Wegovi was prescribed 69 times to
28:34children under the age of 12 in Korea
28:37between 2024 and 2025, and 194 times to
28:40pregnant women. Although prescribing it
28:43for exactly these groups, specifically
28:44people under 18, pregnant or
28:46breastfeeding women, and all
28:47individuals over 65, is in fact
28:48expressly prohibited by the regulations
28:50in place. And the number of unreported
28:52cases is probably much, much higher. It
28:54seems that the Korean government itself
28:55is now beginning to realize that the
28:56whole situation is starting to get a
28:57little bit out of control. In 2025, it
29:00was specifically reported that Wegovi
29:02and Monjaro are classified as drugs
29:04with a high risk of abuse, precisely
29:05due to their growing aesthetic usage by
29:07individuals who do not possess a clear
29:09medical necessity for such a treatment.
29:12The entire Korean market for products
29:14and treatments related to losing weight
29:15and being thin is now valued at several
29:17billion dollars and is projected to
29:19rise to over one billion dollars by
29:202035. Incidentally, this total also
29:22encompasses a wide variety of medical
29:23treatments and procedures that I have
29:25not even touched upon or discussed in
29:27the context of this report up until
29:28this point. For example, so-called
29:30fat-removal injections or lipolysis
29:32injections are also very popular there
29:34and relatively inexpensive. They are
29:37injected into local fat deposits, such
29:39as the double chin, arms, stomach, or
29:41thighs, and are meant to contour and
29:43slim those specific areas a little bit
29:45after a few sessions. Here you can see
29:47the prices of a beauty practice in
29:49Seoul, for example. For a double chin,
29:51for example, the whole thing costs
29:53around € 55, which of course seems
29:55like an absolute bargain. Then
29:56something like Botox is also super
29:58popular here, and not just for the face
30:00. For example, Trap Botox is very
30:02common here. Botox is injected into the
30:05neck and shoulder muscles. The muscle
30:07becomes paralyzed at that specific
30:09point, is far less active and shrinks
30:11over weeks and months, a process which
30:13makes the shoulders and neck appear
30:15longer and slimmer. Then there is also
30:17calf Botox, which uses a similar
30:18principle. The muscle is paralyzed and
30:20the calves become slimmer. I already
30:22mentioned the 5: 2: 3 ratio for the
30:23legs earlier, and yes, in order to
30:25achieve this specific look, Botox is
30:26occasionally injected directly into the
30:28calf muscles to provide the desired
30:29effect. Now, however, I would like to
30:31zoom out again for a moment, because
30:33this entire dieting and slimming craze
30:35in South Korea only really caught my
30:36attention after I began to look more
30:38closely into the world of K-pop and
30:40became familiar with the various
30:41extreme beauty procedures that are so
30:43prevalent throughout South Korean
30:44society today. I believe that I already
30:47made a video regarding this topic
30:48approximately half a year ago. But that
30:49video specifically focused on all the
30:51extreme beauty procedures, especially
30:52on the face. But even back then, I
30:55noticed that all of this functions like
30:57a magnifying glass, serving as a
30:58symptom of a society in which lookism
31:00is a major issue and where one's
31:02physical appearance is directly
31:04connected to performance, personal
31:05success, and discipline. But while I
31:08was occupied with the entire topic, I
31:09kept returning to the same thought, and
31:10I have also addressed this point
31:11repeatedly in brief segments throughout
31:12the course of my discussions. The whole
31:14thing exists here in a way, too. Pretty
31:16privilege is also a thing here. Fat
31:18shaming is a real thing, and yes, even
31:20here people are either favored or
31:22disadvantaged based entirely on the way
31:24that they happen to look. Yes, a few
31:26years ago, perhaps body positivity,
31:27self-acceptance, and diversity were
31:29being preached, but apparently that was
31:31also just a trend that was
31:32well-received and which, in the end,
31:34simply worked quite well when it came
31:36to the realm of marketing. Here too,
31:37everyone is now talking about Osemp,
31:39Weegovi, or Monjaro and how quickly and
31:41easily you can get hold of these
31:43medications. It's also often about
31:45extreme weight loss in a very short
31:46period of time, about the skinny trend.
31:49Trends like Skinny Talk or Look Making
31:50are popping up on TikTok. Then I also
31:52keep seeing videos from the M sect, who
31:54idolize Christian H and who replace
31:55their entire diet with that specific
31:57type of nutritional powder. By the way,
31:58I just can't stand hearing the word
32:00protein anymore. Protein pizza, protein
32:03casserole, protein water, protein bread
32:06, protein banana, protein laptop,
32:09protein pronouns, protein protodene,
32:11protein boyfriend, protein man, protein
32:14, protein children go to my protein
32:17ex-husband's on protein weekend, and in
32:20Hollywood, too, we're currently seeing
32:22a lot of body transformations that are
32:25all going in a very, very specific
32:28direction. That is precisely the reason
32:31why I do not believe the point I wish
32:32to make here at the end is that Korea
32:33is facing a problem while we are
32:35currently not. Yes, perhaps it is
32:37simply spoken about and lived more
32:38openly in Korea, where people might say
32:40: "Hey, if you can improve your
32:42appearance and gain advantages in life
32:44from it, then go ahead and do it,"
32:45whereas here it happens a bit more
32:47subtly. But maybe Korea also represents
32:51a kind of vision of the future for us,
32:53showing what can happen when physical
32:56appearance gains such high status and
32:58is linked to performance, success, and
33:00discipline over several decades.
33:03Because when I observe what is
33:04currently happening, especially on
33:06social media, which types of bodies are
33:08being celebrated again, and how
33:09naturally people speak about
33:10weight-loss medications, then I do not
33:12believe that we are so far away from
33:14that. So, I would say I will leave the
33:16video at that for now. Thank you as
33:17always if you have made it this far,
33:19and please do share your thoughts on
33:21this topic in the comments below.
33:22Perhaps some of you have even been to
33:24South Korea yourselves and could share
33:26a few of your own experiences with us.
33:27Be sure to check out the M Skin. As I
33:29said, you can find the link in the info
33:31box below. And don't forget to give
33:33this video a like and to subscribe to
33:35the channel, so that we can hopefully
33:36see each other again very, very soon
33:38for a new video right here on this
33:40channel. Right here with me.

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