Chinese Millionaires Favor Korean Shopping

Every time I read the Korean Times I have to sort of translate their bad English to understand what they are trying to say... but this was amusing.

A group of millionaire Chinese, who are members of a department store in the Chinese city of Changchun, are currently visiting Korea to fill their shopping bags and also lift their beauty, according to Money Today Saturday.

These tourists are known as “SVIP” by the Chinese department store. It means “Special VIP.” To qualify as an SVIP, one has to spend approximately over 100 million won during a six-month period. 

They are top shoppers in China and are mostly known to be in their 40s and 50s and are spouses of China’s top wealthy people, it said.

SVIP is even a higher level concept than “VVIP,” which means “Very Very Important Person,” it said.

I feel as though the label of "VIP" becomes meaningless if there are also labels for people who are "SVIP" or "VVIP".  Why doesn't the Chinese department store just make their regular "VIPs" into "Ps".  I am guessing any rich Chinese person who goes there and spends money is by default given the title "VIP".  That makes them just people... not anything special.  "SVIPs" would then just become "IPs" or "important people".  Finally, the ridiculous title of "VVIP" could just be "VIP".  Is this in English?  Or do they actually do this nonsense in Chinese and this is a translation?

Their visit is part of an “incentive tour,” arranged by the Chinese department store, which has taken the 12 tourists to Korea for a medical tour, while shopping is a natural part.

These special shoppers normally receive their medical care abroad, the report said. “They used to go to the U.S. and Europe. But recently, Singapore and Japan have joined the competition,” the report said.

Now, Korea is among their destinations as well. 

Korea is a favored medical-tour destination because it has the state-of-the-art medical facilities, while the price is competitive, compared to those in other countries. In recent years, South Korea has particularly become a Mecca for the worlds’ cosmetic surgery, even drawing people from Japan, which was previously preferred.

The Chinese department store plans to send more SVIP customers to Korea in the future, if the feedback from the tour this time turns out to be satisfactory, it said.

According to government data, last year a total of 60,210 foreigners visited South Korea to receive medical service. 

I am not sure, but does Korea want to start bragging that it has become the Mecca of cosmetic surgery?  How can you say "Our people are born so naturally ugly, we have perfected the cosmetic science of making them more tolerable to look at."

It also makes sense that if the socialized medical care advancements in China continue to be slowed down their massive levels of impoverished people, their wealthy will choose to travel abroad for surgeries and treatments.  Korea is a much shorter plane flight than Europe or the United States.  I have also heard that the out of pocket expenses for surgeries such as lasik eye surgery are very reasonable.