South Korea's well-coiffed president is on a mission to help the country's balding residents.
In his crosshairs: the national health insurance scheme, which he suggests should foot the bill for hair loss treatments.
President Lee Jae Myung made the suggestion to officials at a briefing on this week, arguing that medical treatments for hair loss used to be seen as 'cosmetic', but now they are viewed as 'a matter of survival'.
South Korea's national health insurance currently covers treatments for hair loss caused by medical conditions. But it excludes people with hereditary hair loss because that does not threaten someone's life, health minister Jeong Eun-kyeong explained at the meeting on Tuesday.
'Is it just a matter of whether to define hereditary disease as a disease?' Lee asked in response.
Lee's proposal has earned him praise among social media users, one of whom called him the 'best president in history'. But not everyone is as enthused - not even those who stand to benefit from subsidised hair loss treatment.
The move feels 'a bit like a vote-grabbing policy', says Song Ji-hoon, a 32-year-old Seoul resident who takes hair loss medication. 'Saving money sounds nice, but honestly it costs less than 300,000 won ($200) a year, so… is it even necessary?'
In South Korea, a country notorious for its strict beauty standards, baldness comes with a stigma that can prove especially troubling for young people.
Of 240,000 people who visited hospitals for hair loss last year, 40% were in their 20s or 30s, according to authorities.
The proposal raises questions about the priorities of the national health insurance system, which has been facing financial challenges. Critics argue that funds would be better allocated to treat more serious medical conditions.
In his crosshairs: the national health insurance scheme, which he suggests should foot the bill for hair loss treatments.
President Lee Jae Myung made the suggestion to officials at a briefing on this week, arguing that medical treatments for hair loss used to be seen as 'cosmetic', but now they are viewed as 'a matter of survival'.
South Korea's national health insurance currently covers treatments for hair loss caused by medical conditions. But it excludes people with hereditary hair loss because that does not threaten someone's life, health minister Jeong Eun-kyeong explained at the meeting on Tuesday.
'Is it just a matter of whether to define hereditary disease as a disease?' Lee asked in response.
Lee's proposal has earned him praise among social media users, one of whom called him the 'best president in history'. But not everyone is as enthused - not even those who stand to benefit from subsidised hair loss treatment.
The move feels 'a bit like a vote-grabbing policy', says Song Ji-hoon, a 32-year-old Seoul resident who takes hair loss medication. 'Saving money sounds nice, but honestly it costs less than 300,000 won ($200) a year, so… is it even necessary?'
In South Korea, a country notorious for its strict beauty standards, baldness comes with a stigma that can prove especially troubling for young people.
Of 240,000 people who visited hospitals for hair loss last year, 40% were in their 20s or 30s, according to authorities.
The proposal raises questions about the priorities of the national health insurance system, which has been facing financial challenges. Critics argue that funds would be better allocated to treat more serious medical conditions.
