Korea turns to plastic surgery to speak English

That is the hope that recently drove one mother to take her six-year-old son for surgery aimed at ridding him of his Korean accent when speaking the language of choice in global business.

Driven by a desire to give their children an edge in an increasingly competitive society, a number of South Koreans have turned to the knife in a drastic attempt to help their offspring perfect their English.

"Those who have a short frenulum [a strap of tissue linking the tongue to the floor of the mouth] can face problems pronouncing some characters due to a disturbance in lateral movements of the tongue," said Bae Jung-ho, an oral surgeon at Seoul’s Yonsei Severance Hospital, who operated on the six-year-old last month.

Mr Bae said it takes about five minutes to complete the operation, called a frenotomy, which slices one to one and a half centimetres off the frenulum to make the tongue more flexible.

"There is a razor-thin risk of complications and, unless it is the best option possible, we don’t recommend it."

Mr Bae said that he had received many inquiries about the operation, mostly for children between 12 months and ten years. Of these, only 10 to 20 per cent had led to surgery.

The doctor said he performed the surgery, which costs 150,000 won ($127), once or twice per month.

The focus on speaking English surged after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis rocked South Korea’s economy, throwing a record number of people out of work. Financial markets were subsequently opened and foreign investment flowed in, creating a need for communication.

"English is now becoming a means of survival," said Cha Kyoung-ae, a professor who teaches English at a local university. "Entering a college, getting jobs and promotion - many things hinge heavily on your mastery of English.