Actor Kang Ye-won as she looks now, alongside her old passport photo [YouTube channel 'Gwangyewon']
Actor Kang Ye-won as she looks now, alongside her old passport photo [YouTube channel 'Gwangyewon']

Actor Kang Ye-won, 47, was unable to clear automated immigration in China after facial changes from cosmetic surgery caused a mismatch with her passport photo.

The incident was captured in a video posted Thursday on Kang's YouTube channel "Gwangyewon," titled "The legend of 200 billion won in daily sales? I met China's No. 1 influencer."

In the video, Kang traveled to Hangzhou as an influencer and entrepreneur at the invitation of a Chinese influencer agency. She said she was excited to set foot in China for the first time in 16 years, having last visited to promote the films "Tidal Wave" and "Harmony."

Her excitement quickly gave way to embarrassment. "I was trying to enter through automated immigration, but my passport has an old photo, so it wouldn't recognize me automatically," she said, looking flustered. "I can't believe it."

She added, "It thinks my old face and my current face are different. It's my own fault — who else can I blame?"

Kang said the same thing had happened on a previous trip to Japan. "It didn't work in Japan last time, and now it's not working in China either — I was so caught off guard," she said.

She then showed her old passport photo on camera. "Is it that different? It is a bit different, I suppose. Maybe the eyes?" she said.

Ultimately, she had new photos taken reflecting her current appearance and applied to have her passport reissued.

Kang has previously said in broadcasts that she has undergone eye surgery seven times, including a procedure to reverse an earlier epicanthoplasty.


paq@heraldcorp.com