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Some call it cultural imperialism; others say it's a way to get ahead in life. 

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Plastic surgery is a booming business in South Korea, but its also controversial. 

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Kyung Lah finds out why a 12-year-old girl went under the knife to achieve a decidedly western style of beauty. 

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Lee Min-kyung is a picture of childhood grace and poise, but she says not beauty.

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What she sees are her small Asian eyes. But that will change tomorrow 

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when this 12-year-old, with the permission of her mother, gets plastic surgery for more westernized eyes.

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Do you think you'll look better after the eye surgery?

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"I'm excited. I think I'll look better than I do now."

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She's not alone.

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Dr. Kim Byung Gun is head of Seoul's biggest plastic surgery clinic, BK Dongyang. The clinic performs some 100 surgeries a day. 

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It looks like every single one is full.

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Yeah.

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It's not just eyelid surgery, 

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but nose reshaping to elevate the nose and facial contouring to slenderize a typically rounder Asian face.

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When patients come in and talk about why they want these types of surgeries, what do they tell you?

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The Chinese and Korean patients tell me that they want to have a face like Americans.

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There are hundreds of plastic surgery clinics just in this one district of Seoul. It is an accepted part of Korean culture. 

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Because of that, the history, and the technique of the surgeons, it's why this place has become the plastic surgery capital of Asia.

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A tourist destination most notably among newly rich globally competitive mainland Chinese. 

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Thirty percent of Dr. Kim's patients are international, and of that group 90 percent are Chinese.

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Two of them are Chinese doctors. Yeah, they are visiting.

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Two of them, these two behind them are the Chinese doctors.

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And it's why he speaks Mandarin. 

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Dr. Kim says in Asia's increasingly global economy, he believes appearance is simple math in the equation of success.

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It's a financial investment in their life.

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It can have more than 100 times improvement [in] their investment. 

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They can find a much better job if they have pretty faces.

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That competitive drive is why Min-kyung's mother says she's giving her daughter plastic surgery.

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Do you think you're helping your daughter's future by giving her this surgery?

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"Yes. I think it'll help her," 

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she adds bluntly, "This is a society where you have to be pretty to get ahead. She's my only daughter."

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On the morning of her surgery, Min-kyung gets a final consultation with the doctor, 

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then heads into a 20-minute surgery she hopes will make her beautiful.

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The surgery carries a totally different meaning to Asian-American activists, says L.A.-based writer Martin Wong. 

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They're making a statement about their own race, about where they come from, about who they are. 

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They're not doing it on purpose. They're not saying that they think that they're inferior looking. 

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They're not saying that they're ugly, but that's the message that they're giving nonetheless.

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A month later, Min-kyung and her mother e-mail these photos from before to after. 

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Min-kyung says she's happy with her new look. She's still dancing and now sees more than just her eyes; she sees a brighter future.