'I spent £50k to look like Kim Kardashian and now people don't know I'm Korean'

A Korean woman has had so many surgeries in a bid to look like Kim K she says people no longer believe she's Asian - and it's worth every penny of the £50k she's spent.

Cherri Lee, 28, grew up idolising the Kardashian family - and fell in love with their glamorous looks and curvaceous bodies.

Cherri, whose South Korean name is Hanbyeol, had her first surgery at the age of just 20 - a procedure on her eyes to give her double eyelids. She went on to have several other facial and body surgeries to get the perfect Kardashian face and hourglass figure - totalling 15 surgeries in eight years.

Her procedures have included three Brazilian butt lifts and two breast augmentations as well as countless facial surgeries. In total, she has now spent more than £50k on her glam look - and has changed her appearance so much that nobody even believes she is from Korea.

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But she says it is worth every penny for the confidence boost it has given her whenever people stop and stare at her in public.

She said: "I didn't see myself coming this far, but I got addicted to surgeries. Every time I went under the knife, I saw a positive change and I loved it. I always wanted the glamorous big boobs and big bum Kardashian look.

"Kim has always been an inspiration to me and she's the most beautiful woman in the world in my eyes. I actually look like a completely different person now to before - I look Western, and some of my Korean family don't even recognise me anymore.

"I know when to stop and I'm not planning any more surgeries now - I have achieved the look I always wanted. I don't regret a single procedure and I'd do it all again the same - my only regret is why didn't I do it sooner!"

Cherri, a part-time English teacher, had her first surgery - eyelid surgery - in 2014 following a tough break-up. Influenced by the Kardashians, she loved the curvy figures and glam looks and aspired to achieve that for herself.

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The catch was that Cherri is Korean, not American-Armenian - making her dream of looking like idol Kim that bit harder to achieve. But after her first surgery she got the bug after seeing the changes she hoped for - and began planning her next move.

In 2016, she had her first boob job in Seoul before another eye surgery the following year. She said: "After the breakup, my confidence was at rock-bottom. I always wanted the glamorous Kardashian look with the big bum and hourglass figure.

"My ex didn't want me back after the first surgery, but every time I went under the knife I would see positive change, and I quickly got addicted. Between 2019 and 2021, she had three Brazilian butt lifts (BBL) to get Kim's world-famous behind. She said: "I had it done three years in a row. Each time it just wasn't big enough for my liking."

Between those years she also had a nose job, cheekbone surgery, a double chin reduction and two rounds of buccal fat removal, which thins the cheeks. Cherri, who is currently single and living in South Korea, says she has been able to afford the surgeries thanks to help from her parents.

But she has admitted she feels she has now achieved her goal, and hasn't been under the knife since her last buccal fat removal, which she had in Greece last year.

She said: "I'm not planning any more surgeries now, I know when to stop. I was addicted before. I would get a buzz when I would wake up in excruciating pain and then see myself afterwards and it would be my reward. I'm so grateful that not one procedure I had done went wrong, because I know that can happen."

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She now has 1050cc implants in each breast - making her a 34GGG cup size - and her facial surgeries have changed her face so much that she no longer looks Korean. In fact, she admitted even some members of her own family don't recognise her at first - and people see her walking around her hometown and assume she's a tourist.

Others mistake her for Kim K from behind - leaving her feeling better than ever.

She said: "I don't think my facial features look like Kim K but the overall vibe is her. I do get people commenting from behind, thinking I can't hear them asking each other if I'm Kim. I get people saying I should be her body double. There are lots of Kim lookalikes but I came from an Asian background, so it takes much more effort. You don't see many Asian girls doing this. I know this might upset many people, but I was never really a fan of Oriental looks. I didn't like how I looked before, but I'm really happy now."

She says she gets lots of different reactions from people when out in public, too.

"I love it when people stop and give me compliments," she said. "But I hate it when guys ask for my number. That happened a few times when I was in London - it offends me when they think they stand a chance! Since seeing my transformation, my ex has been back in touch and said he wants me now - but I'm too good for him now and I'm getting a higher calibre of men approaching me!

"I have had a few negative reactions as well. Once a middle-aged lady looked at me and asked how much I charge per hour, suggesting I was a sex worker. I was out in public wearing a summer dress - it was plain rude. But I don't let it affect me. If you have nothing nice to say, jog on. Everybody should have the right to modify their body - do what you want, as long as you're not harming anyone."

She described her decision to have her surgeries - which many might question - as the best decision she ever made.

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Cherri said: "Now, I have a bigger pool of men approaching me. I've always been an attention seeker - it makes me feel sexy. I like random people giving me compliments.

"Whenever I have to explain to someone that I'm Korean and they tell me I don't look it, I feel unique and exotic. I think Kim is the most beautiful woman in my eyes and to be compared to her is amazing.

"My confidence is through the roof, I'm so much happier now than when I was younger. It was 100% worth it. My only regret is 'why didn't I do it sooner?'"

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