According to an article in CNN, there is “no official data on how many South Koreans suffer from hair loss. The National Health Insurance Service only provided yearly tallies of people who have received hospital treatment, which amounted to some 230,000 in 2020.” However, hair loss has become an important electoral issue. This article by Hyonhee Shin is published by Yahoo News. Here is an excerpt:

South Korea’s ruling party presidential candidate ignited a debate this week after he proposed allowing public healthcare insurance to cover hair loss treatment, fanning both cheers from some voters and criticism over his populist agenda.

Lee Jae-myung, the flag bearer of the Democratic Party, made that pledge, saying almost 10 million people suffer from hair loss but many of them order medicines from overseas or resort to prostate drugs as an alternative due to high treatment costs.

His proposal triggered explosive responses from some people, with a 15-second video clip in which Lee did a spoof of a hair loss commercial saying he’s the best candidate for “your hair,” widely circulating and generating parodies in social media.

“Let’s implant Lee Jae-myung for us,” a user wrote, replying to a post of Lee’s slogans on hair loss uploaded in an online hair loss community.

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