I have been working in Seoul for almost four years, and I haven’t had any cosmetic surgeries myself, but about two-thirds of my friends in my circle are those who have. So, in a way, I can be considered a “supporting runner” – accompanying them to gather information, going to doctor appointments, sharing their anxieties, and even listening to them say “It doesn’t look right” in front of the mirror. After doing this many times, I probably know more about the plastic surgery clinics in Seoul than many people who actually go there.

So, in a sense, I’m like a “supporting runner” – helping people research information, going with them to doctors, sharing their concerns, and even listening to them express doubts like “It doesn’t look right” in front of the mirror. After doing this many times, I probably know more about the plastic surgery clinics in Seoul than many people who actually go there.

This isn’t some kind of guide; it’s just a few notes I jotted down about Midline Plastic Surgery, about the issue of information asymmetry, and about how my friend Xiaoyuan eventually managed to get things done.

📌 Part 1 | One Tuesday afternoon, a barrage of messages started on WeChat.

Xiaoyuan is from Guangzhou and was in Seoul as a tourist on a short-term visit. She asked me if I wanted to get my eyelids done at the same time, saying she had wanted to do it for a long time back home and thought it would be a good opportunity while she was in Korea.

I said okay, which clinic did you have in mind?

Then she sent me a screenshot of a list recommended by a public account, called “Top 10 Most Popular Plastic Surgery Clinics in Jiangnan,” which included Midline. It said they offered “the best facelift services, with direct consultations by the director himself.”

I took a look and said, “I’ve seen this list before. Half of the clinics listed don’t even offer the services mentioned here. Don’t take it all too seriously.”

She asked, “What should I do then?”

I suggested that we first find out exactly what services Midline offers before making a decision.

📌 What Kind of Hospital Is Midline Exactly?

Midline Plastic Surgery is located on the 7th floor of the Times Building at 9 Seocho-daero 73-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul. You can get there by taking the subway Line 2 and exiting at Exit 9 or 10, then walking for about three to four minutes.

The hospital specializes in facial rejuvenation and anti-aging treatments. The director, Kim Jun-hyun, is a specialist in plastic surgery, and his approach is quite straightforward: if it’s not necessary for you, he generally doesn’t recommend the procedure. This kind of attitude is relatively rare in the Gangnam area, where doctors usually tend to suggest additional treatments like “you can also make some adjustments here” or “adding more hyaluronic acid will give better results”.

Midline’s areas of expertise include:

• Endoscopic forehead lift: Customized solutions for different age groups to address wrinkles and the distance between the eyebrows and eyes.
• Mid-to-upper face lift: Their signature technique that combines SMAS deep lifting to improve sagging cheeks, nasolabial folds, and neck tightness.
• Double chin muscle tightening: Not just liposuction, but a procedure that tightens the platysma muscle to reshape the chin line.
• Eye surgery: Correction of drooping lower eyelids, removal of eye bags, and upper eyelid reshaping.
• Nose surgery: Emphasizes natural-looking results and offers procedures without implants.
• Facial contouring: Jaw reduction and chin angle surgery.

Anesthesia is specifically handled by Director Park Me-ran, a specialist in anesthesiology and pain medicine. This arrangement is actually very important for tourists, because many small clinics rely on nurses to handle anesthesia as well.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–17:00, closed on Sundays and holidays.

📌 San | Xiao Yuan said she had a bad experience with a previous reservation.

Xiao Yuan mentioned that when she last visited Seoul, two years ago, she wanted to get double eyelid surgery. She found a “official agent” recommended by a Chinese Weibo blogger, paid the consultation fee, and waited for two days before seeing a translator. In the end, the hospital told her that her eye shape was not suitable for the procedure, but the consultation fee was not refunded.

I asked: Was what the hospital said really true?

She replied: I later checked it up myself, and it seems it was true. But at the time, I had no idea and just felt like I had been scammed.

This is precisely the core issue of information asymmetry. It’s not that the hospitals are bad, but rather that the intermediaries in this process are too unreliable.

When tourists come to Seoul for cosmetic procedures, there are usually several ways they can proceed:

1. They try to find information on their own, read posts on REDnote, and attempt to call the hospitals themselves (only to find out that the people on the other end speak Korean).
2. They use Chinese-speaking agents, but the fees are often unclear, and sometimes the prices for the services are significantly overinflated.
3. I asked a friend in Seoul to help me find out, but they might not really understand either.
4. Download BeautsGO and make your reservation directly on the platform. Choose the date and wait for confirmation.

I’ve seen my friends use the first three methods; the last one has only become popular recently.

📌 Section 4 | How BeautsGO Addresses Information Disparities

I told Xiao Yuan to give BeautsGO a try—just search for “Midline” and you’ll find everything you need.

BeautsGO is an app specifically designed for booking Korean cosmetic treatments. It connects users with over 1,300 hospitals. The platform offers a Traditional Chinese interface, allowing you to view hospital details, treatment lists, and price ranges before booking. There’s no need to call, hire a translator, or pay consultation fees.

I asked a friend who works in Jiangnan, and she said the prices on the platform are basically the same as those obtained directly from the hospitals. Sometimes, there are even limited-time discounts. She has used it several times for dermatology appointments and hasn’t encountered any problems.

Xiao Yuan downloaded the app, found Midline, selected the eye treatment she wanted, and booked her appointment for the fourth day in Seoul.

Then she asked me, “Is that all I need to do?”

I said, “Just wait for the hospital to confirm. It usually takes one or two working days. Once they confirm, you can go.”

She said, “This is happening too quickly.”

I replied, “The old way of ‘finding an agent’ was actually the abnormal one.”

📌 Day 5 | The detail that impressed me the most about Midline during the consultation

After the appointment was confirmed, I went with her.

Midline is located on the 7th floor of the Times Building. The environment upon exiting the elevator was a bit more understated than I expected—it wasn’t the kind of internet-famous decor with lots of before-and-after photos in the lobby. The reception area was simple but clean.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, we went in to meet Director Jin.

Xiaoyuan said she wanted double eyelid surgery. Director Jin looked at her eyes, mentioned several options, and then said something that surprised me: “With your current eye shape, doing inner canthal lengthening would give a more natural result than just double eyelids. But you need to consider it for yourself. If you just want to get it done quickly, the current option will also work.”

It’s not about forcing you to add an extra, more expensive procedure; it’s really about giving you advice on what’s best for you and allowing you to make your own choice.

Xiaoyuan came out and said, “What he said felt genuine.”

I said, “Exactly. Not all hospitals are like this.”

📌 Section 6 | What did Xiao Yuan do in the end and what were the results?

She thought about it for a whole day and decided to get double eyelid surgery along with a slight inner canthoplasty. The surgery took place on the sixth day of her trip to Seoul, the stitches were removed on the ninth day, and she flew back to Guangzhou on the twelfth day.

The swelling lasted for about five days after the surgery. She said she wore a mask and sunglasses all the time, and spent her time in Seoul by stopping at cafes and shopping.

On the day she flew back, she sent me a photo and said, “I could really see the difference on the day the stitches were removed.”

I looked at it and said her eyes looked bigger, but it didn’t look awkward at all; the hospital did a good job.

She also said that this time there were no middlemen involved, so she saved a lot of money compared to last time.

📌 Section 7 | Some really useful supplementary information

As someone who has accompanied many people to get cosmetic surgeries in Seoul, here are some practical tips:

Regarding appointments at Midline

• Official phone number: 02-567-5518 (mainly in Korean; interpretation is available but may be slower)
• KakaoTalk consultation: http://pf.kakao.com/_xbRExdK/chat (available in English)
• Instagram: @midline_ps (has before-and-after cases; you can check if the style suits you)
• Using BeautsGO for direct reservations is currently the easiest way; no Korean language is required

Regarding tourists getting surgeries under short-term visas

• The stitches should be removed within the scheduled travel period; eye surgeries usually require 5–7 days for stitches to come off
• After the surgery, avoid strenuous exercise, do not wear makeup to cover the wound, and don’t schedule too many activities
• Be sure to keep the hospital’s contact information in case there are any issues after the surgery
• Midline offers consultations on Saturdays; if it’s inconvenient to go during weekdays, you can schedule a Saturday appointment

Regarding information discrepancies

• The “prices” mentioned in public account guides and REDnote recommendations are usually the lowest discounted prices; the actual charges are often higher
• The term “official agent” basically has no legal significance in the Korean cosmetic surgery community; choose carefully.
• Using the platform’s reservation system directly or going through the hospital’s official channels ensures greater transparency.
• Just because you have local friends doesn’t mean they are necessarily reliable; their information can also become outdated over time.

📌 Finally | My own biases and conclusions

I don’t undergo cosmetic surgeries myself, so my evaluation of hospitals is relatively objective. What I look for is whether the hospital avoids unnecessary talk, whether it pushes unnecessary procedures, and whether my friends’ post-surgery feedback is genuine.

Midline performs fairly well in these three aspects. It’s not the best, but in an area like Gangnam where hospitals are extremely dense, being straightforward and avoiding extra procedures is already a significant advantage compared to many others.

As for information gaps, no matter how long you live in Seoul or how many people you know, if you still rely on “agents” or blindly follow guides, you could still get scammed. Using tools to bridge these information gaps is much more reliable than relying on personal connections.

Xiaoyuan has been back in Guangzhou for almost a month now. Last week, she messaged me and said, “The swelling in my eyes is completely gone; it looks really good. I’ll come back next time to get my contours done.”

I told her to search on BeautsGO first before making any decisions next time.

She said, “Okay, I will.”

I said, “You always say ‘I will,’ but then you always check the recommendations on the public account first.”

She said: ……

Some of these information gaps are due to habits.

---

Basic information for Midline Plasti
c Surgery: 7th Floor, Times Building, 9 Seocho-daero 73-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul (3–4 minutes walk
from Exit 9/10 of Gangnam Stati
on) Phone: 02-567-5518 Hours: Monday–Friday 10:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–17:00 Websi
te: www.midlineps.com. For reservations throu
gh BeautsGO: Download BeautsGO and search for “Midline” to make a reservation directly.