Pungja says she spent at least W150m on plastic surgery alone

Transgender broadcaster Pungja has revealed that she spent more than 100 million won ($74,900) on plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures.

A video titled "First reveal of my recent surgeries, side effects and all — people who blew the price of an apartment on plastic surgery talk" was posted Tuesday on her YouTube channel "Pungja TV."

In the video, Pungja opened up about her gum contouring surgery. "I had gum reshaping done. When I watched old footage of myself, I was stressed because half of what you saw when I smiled was gum," she said.

She then explained that a nose job had left her upper lip partially numb and unable to lift properly. "I could feel the difference between showing gum and not showing it, so when I had dental work done I also had gum contouring to reduce it. But I'm still not satisfied," she said.

Pungja said she had also undergone surgery on her teeth, forehead and eyes. "The double eyelid surgery was a one-shot success. The lateral canthoplasty was turned down by three clinics before I found one willing to do it," she said, and went on to say, "It turned out well, but my eyes looked too sharp, so I went back and had dual canthoplasty. Then I developed a side effect where the skin under my eyes rolled inward, which led to lower eyelid surgery — so I've had four eye surgeries in total."

Pungja also disclosed that she had five nose jobs, three liposuction procedures and three breast surgeries. "Revision surgery costs more than the original. My last breast surgery alone probably cost 18 million won," she said, drawing gasps from those present.

On the total cost of her surgeries — excluding non-surgical procedures — Pungja said the bill had been high due to the number of revisions and her particular circumstances, which included gender-affirming surgery. "It must have come to at least 150 million won ($112,000)," she added.

Born in 1988, Pungja started out as an online broadcaster and now appears across YouTube, cable, general programming channels and terrestrial entertainment shows. She drew wide attention when she won the rookie actress award at the 2023 MBC Broadcasting Entertainment Awards.

min3654@heraldcorp.com