Mick Hartley

From the Daily NK:

It has been belatedly revealed that since the start of the 2000s, young women working in North Korean restaurants both in Pyongyang and abroad have been required to have double eyelid surgery.

A source with a long history of visits to Pyongyang explained to The Daily NK yesterday, “When I was in Pyongyang last year, I heard from someone related to the North that since the start of the 2000s all waitresses had double eyelid surgery on Kim Jong Il’s instructions,” and added, “It seems that Kim Jong Il places great importance on the appearance of workers in restaurants earning foreign currency.”

Double eyelid surgery? Indeed. Also known as Asian blepharoplasty:

[A] type of cosmetic surgery where the skin around the eye is reshaped (blepharoplasty). The purpose of the procedure is to create an upper eyelid with a crease (i.e. "double eyelid") from an eyelid that is naturally without a crease, known as an Epicanthic fold (a.k.a. "single eyelid"). Anatomically, there are a number of subtle differences in the upper eyelids of most Asians particularly from east, north and central Asia, including many Native Americans, compared with the differences in the eyelids of other races. The procedure to alter the natural Asian "single eyelid" appearance has been a subject of controversy, and described by opponents of the procedure, such as author David Mura, as being "indoctrinated by white standards of beauty". Although there is increasing appreciation and awareness to the natural beauty of the Asian single-eyelid look, renowned New York based cosmetic surgeon Dr. Edward Kwak states that many patients who get the procedure done are "not trying to look white", but look like the many north and eastern Asians who naturally have an eyelid fold.

Some before and after photos here. 

A bit odd perhaps for a country that places such an emphasis on racial purity, but then again this is North Korea, where oddness is the least of it.