Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE starting June 12 2026

Want to be a K-pop star? Fix your face

K-pop fans have taken to social media, calling South Korean beauty standards "messed up" after contestant Elly Oh said she was told to "fix her face."

elly_oh_youtube.jpg
(Image: YouTube The Voice)

With Ricky Martin as her mentor and a suite of killer performances under her belt on The Voice, Elly Oh's star is rising in Australia.

It's not the first time the 29-year-old music teacher has tried to crack the market.

"I wanted to become a K-Pop singer when I was 18 but at the time, back then I had some issues.

"Some management company said I have to fix my face first," she told SBS Pop Asia.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

 

It's a revelation that hasn't surprised K-pop fans who have posted messages of support for Elly, deeming the amount of K-pop girls undergoing surgery as "ridiculous."

sbs_facebook_2.jpg

Elly isn't ruling out a career in South Korea and said she wants to work in lots of countries including Australia, Korea, the UK and America.

"Luckily, here [in Australia] people tell me I'm cute, I'm lucky," Elly told SBS.

"But in Korea I'm not a pretty face. Honestly."

It would seem Elly has some Australian and South Korean fans who disagree with her.

SBS Dateline recently investigated why South Korea has the highest rate of cosmetic procedures per capita in the world and how the K-pop music scene is fuelling the obsession.


2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world