Kim Su Young, Operations Director of Art Stage 1992
- Ece Yıldırım
- 4 Tem
- 6 dakikada okunur
During the recent K-Beauty seminar at the Istanbul King Sejong Institute, Turkish participants learned directly from Kim Su Young, a prominent educator from Art Stage 1992 Beauty Academy. With nearly two decades of experience, Kim brings a disciplined, precision-focused approach to makeup. Interestingly, his journey to Istanbul was fueled by a deeply personal mission: to express his gratitude to Türkiye for its historical support during the Korean War. In this interview, he shares insights on personal color trends and his impressions of Istanbul.
1. What kind of person is Operations Director Kim Su Young? Could you please give a brief introduction of yourself and tell us about your journey into the beauty and cosmetics industry (career journey)?
I started my journey in 2003 by entering the beauty and hairdressing department of a junior college, and I’ve been professionally doing makeup since 2007. To be completely honest, because I felt I wasn’t born with a natural talent, I wanted a strong academic backup, so I transferred to the Korea National Open University for a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature. Later, I also completed a master's course in cosmetic science and a doctoral course in cultural arts. On the field side, I started in 2007 working at department store counters and Incheon Airport duty-free shops. Then, from 2015 to 2020, I worked as an artist and trainer for the brand "ADDICTION" under the Japanese cosmetics company KOSÉ Korea. Today, I teach makeup at Art Stage 1992 Beauty Academy—which, funniness aside, is the same academy I attended as a student back in 2003. In one word, I'm a makeup artist who is like a soldier. People often think makeup is all about glamour and fun, but the reality is quite different. Rather than a beautiful fairy tale, it frequently feels like urgent action or a tense thriller. While some artists are highly intuitive with ideas that pop and bounce, I am someone who executes a designated mission at a designated location, right at the designated time.
2. The concepts and trends regarding Korean beauty (K-Beauty) have undergone many changes over the long years. What are your thoughts on these changes and the recent modern trends?
K-Beauty has recently developed a more independent side, but lately, I see styles borrowing heavily from Chinese-style makeup, like exaggerated aegyo-sal or extreme nose shading. Personally, I dislike it because it strays from naturalness. Rather than Korea's subtle nose shading, the Chinese method feels like actually attaching something to the nose.
K-Beauty’s global popularity rides on the wave of K-pop and K-dramas. We just got lucky, so I avoid being arrogant. I firmly believe certain colors suit a person, while others don't. However, we must consider the person's original image. If someone with a naturally youthful, rounded face wears heavy smoky makeup to look chic, it creates a character mismatch during a conversation. They don't look like themselves. True beauty comes from harmonizing your colors with your authentic, original image.
3. What is the most common misconception the public has when doing a personal color analysis? (For example, the perception like "A person with fair skin is unconditionally a cool tone.")
Your example is spot on. People often assume that if your skin is fair, pink or orange will automatically suit you. Conversely, it makes me wonder: should Black people just live their lives without ever finding a suitable color? In reality, there is absolutely no correlation between skin brightness and your personal color palette.
Also, everyone focuses entirely on finding their single absolute best color. While that is helpful, you cannot limit your entire life to just one shade. In my view, knowing your worst colors and actively avoiding them is far more important. Even if a color suits me slightly less, if I truly love it, I can still find a way to use it. For instance, my analysis shows I am a summer cool tone, but I know I am not the soft "church oppa" type. Since I need charisma as a teacher, I personally choose to live my life using a winter cool tone palette.
4. How was the level of interest shown by the Turkish participants in personal color at this Istanbul Sejong Hakdang workshop? What did they mainly expect or feel curious about?
In fact, this part does not differ by country; a common appearance manifests. In one word, it is: "What is the color that suits me?" This is it. It is the same in Korea as well as in other foreign countries.
5. Should we view personal color simply as a temporary "beauty trend," or should we define it as a tool for "personal branding" that supports professional social activities?
Rather than being a passing trend, personal color is a tool that will continuously be carried forward. When I started in the late 2000s, this concept did not exist; I struggled purely with finding good color combinations without knowing how to judge what suited a customer.
Over time, experience taught me that certain colors would ruin a look on a specific person. I naturally realized that everyone has colors that inherently suit them and colors that don't. However, because intuition plays such a huge role, it is difficult to formalize. Most people are not exactly 100% cool tone or 0% warm tone; they are caught somewhere right in the middle. In fact, I even wrote a thesis suggesting that we should not draw lines too sharply when making a judgment. It is truly a lifelong tool for personal branding.
6. Eyebrow design is a very important element that determines the impression of the face and the perception of character. What is the most fundamental aesthetic difference between the Korean-style straight and soft eyebrow (Straight brows) and the Western-style angled arched eyebrow?
In reality, it is a misconception that Korean-style eyebrows are completely straight. True beauty emerges when you bring the shape a person was naturally born with to life. If you force a naturally straight brow into a sharp Western arch, it looks like they are wearing someone else's clothes. It just happens that straight brows are biologically more common among Koreans.
The shift between a sharp, angled brow and a soft, gentle feeling happens within a distance of less than 1 mm. Simply trimming the upper line and the peak of the eyebrow slightly is enough to completely transform the face. Literally, depending on whether you want to project a charismatic impression or a soft impression, you can entirely change your expression with just a subtle adjustment.
7. During your stay in Istanbul, what were the most rewarding moments with the Turkish participants, and how did the city's unique culture inspire you?
I personally requested this trip to Istanbul because of a deep sense of gratitude. Türkiye was among the first to dispatch troops during the Korean War, sending around 15,000 soldiers who fought alongside us. I came here with a heart full of wanting to repay that debt of honor. During the workshop, I was deeply moved by a student who noticed my T-shirt honoring Korean War veterans, and another who traveled 15 hours just to attend my class.
Istanbul itself, where Europe and Asia beautifully blend, gave me incredible inspiration. From the unique, lively energy of the people to the delicious food, friendly cats, and beautiful, dry weather, everything was memorable.
8. Lastly, is there a special message you would like to convey to the Korean culture fans in Türkiye and the Korea.net readers who will read this interview?
In fact, looking at it in a way, someone like me who possesses a talent that isn't even extraordinary can contribute strength to raising the country's image, which makes me think I am doing a truly meaningful job, and I am going back and forth with a grateful heart for the opportunity given. In the future, as well, I will continue to work hard with the mindset that I am active as a sort of national representative.
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