[WHY] How facial moles are evolving from superstition to aesthetic trend

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[WHY] How facial moles are evolving from superstition to aesthetic trend

Published: 29 Nov. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 02 Dec. 2025, 10:24

SEO JI-EUN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A close-up of a woman’s moles, a feature often interpreted with specific meanings in Korean physiognomy. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

When Park Jin-ah walked into a small tattoo studio in Seoul in early 2021, she wasn’t there for a bold design.

She wanted a single dot — a tiny mole placed deliberately beneath her left eye — a location traditionally interpreted in Korea as a “tear mole,” said to bring emotional turbulence or sorrow.

In many countries, a mole is just a mole.

In Korea, however, a mole is rarely just a dot — facial moles are read, interpreted and often judged.

Koreans grow up hearing lines like “A tear mole means you’ll cry often,” or “A mole by the lips means you’re persuasive.” For decades, most facial moles were something to remove, not only because they were seen as visually distracting, but because they carried meanings.

But today, a growing number of young Koreans are ignoring these old interpretations and intentionally adding moles to their faces.

“People say under-eye moles are negative, but that wasn’t something I cared about,” Park said. “I have a lot of space under my eyes and my eye width is short, so I wanted a diagonal placement that opens up my gaze. It draws attention to my eyes, which I like.”

Experts say while traditional physiognomy still serves as cultural background, modern Koreans are increasingly treating moles as aesthetic choices or even forms of personal branding.

Yet the trend raises a deeper question: Why does a small dot carry so much cultural meaning in Korea — and how did facial moles become symbols of beauty, charm and even destiny?

Mole meanings by location according to classical physiognomy texts and modern interpretations [CHUN YU-JIN]

A tiny dot to a destiny map

In East Asia, the symbolic reading of facial moles traces back to ancient Chinese physiognomy, one of the earliest and most systematic theories of interpreting the face.

Two of the most influential traditions were Ma Yi’s Physiognomy and Bodhidharma’s Physiognomy, classical texts that mapped the human face into dozens of zones corresponding to destiny, temperament, wealth, longevity and personal fortune.

Ma Yi’s system analyzed facial lines, moles and bone structure to predict life patterns, while Bodhidharma’s system offered a Buddhist-inflected framework linking outer appearance to inner character and karmic tendencies. These ideas later spread to Korea and Japan, where they were absorbed into local culture and adapted in distinct ways.

In the West, however, moles were rarely symbolic. Aristotelian physiognomy focused on human-animal resemblance — for example, associating lionlike features with bravery or deerlike ones with timidity — and moles held no particular meaning. By the Enlightenment, even these theories faded, leaving Western cultures with little symbolic vocabulary for facial moles beyond the occasional “beauty mark.”

In East Asia, by contrast, moles evolved into one of the most important elements of facial reading. A glossy, round mole is traditionally viewed as good fortune — a bokjeom, or "lucky mole." A dull, irregular or raised one is considered inauspicious, believed to block luck or invite hardship.

Yet among East Asian societies, Korea developed the most detailed and elaborate system of interpreting moles, according to Kim Dong-wan, adjunct professor of Eastern Philosophy at the College of Future Convergence at Dongguk University.

"China’s physiognomic traditions weakened during the Communist era," Kim told the Korea JoongAng Daily. "Japan preserved its systems but does not practice them in everyday life."

Jang Won-young, left, and Jennie. Jang’s under-eye mole and Jennie’s mole beneath her eyebrow have become popular “charm points” among young Koreans. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Why Jang Won-young's mole might symbolize misfortune

Traditionally, a lucky mole was left untouched, while an unlucky one was removed.

The forehead, cheekbones and nose are generally linked with wealth or career prospects, while the eyes and the area around them are tied to romance, emotions or inner temperament.

But the meanings can vary depending on the location.

A mole on the nose, for instance, especially on the nose tip or the fleshy sides, has long been associated with wealth, social popularity and resourcefulness. Some even interpret a raised or darkened mole on the nose bridge as blocking financial luck, prompting people to remove it.

Traditional texts suggest that a dot beside the lips reflects eloquence, persuasiveness and a strong appetite.

A mole around the outer eye corner, known as the marital palace, was historically seen as a sign of unstable relationships.

A mole hidden within the eyebrow was thought to indicate a secretive or introspective personality, while a mole on the temple suggested frequent travel or a life of movement.

Tattooist Park Ja-young places a semi-permanent beauty mark on a client’s face — a rising trend among young Koreans seeking aesthetic or “lucky” mole placements. [COURTESY OF PARK JA-YOUNG]

K-beauty's newest obsession

Despite its deep historical roots, modern Koreans interpret these markings far more flexibly.

In recent years, the tear mole has been reborn as a fashionable point of charm, much like a haircut or a piercing.

Celebrities like Jang Won-young, whose under-eye mole became part of her signature look, helped rebrand the mark into a trend. Some young Koreans now draw fake under-eye moles with makeup or get semipermanent versions tattooed.

“For some people, I’m remembered as ‘the woman with big eyes and a little mole under them,’” Park said. “Experiences like that made me realize that something once seen as a flaw can actually become a part of my identity.”

Park Ja-young, the founder of beyoungdot, a shop in Hongdae that she describes as one of Korea’s first dedicated hand-poke mole tattoo studios, says the demand for mole tattoos "has never declined" and continues to increase every year.

"A completely spotless, pale face without a single mole actually feels a bit outdated these days," tattooist Park said. "The No. 1 reason for customers is to balance facial asymmetry or refine their overall look. After that, it’s about physiognomy or getting a ‘lucky’ mole, and then celebrity influence."

The most popular placements, she says, are under the eyes and on the cheeks — areas that offer the strongest visual impact without looking unnatural.

"Beauty-mark tattoos are great for highlighting certain features or softening a complex," she said. “An under-eye mole emphasizes the eyes, and a cheek mole can make a face asymmetrical or make the mid-face look smaller. Those are things that cosmetic surgery can’t easily fix, so many people hope for a noticeable improvement with a small, low-burden procedure.”

Customers now visit not only from outer Seoul but also from overseas like China, Japan and Thailand — and the customer base isn't just women.

But superstition hasn’t disappeared entirely.

"Many clients check the physiognomic meaning while getting a mole tattoo," she said.

As the New Year approaches, the tattooist sees a surge in requests for bokjeom, with people wanting moles that bring wealth, romance or luck. The area in front of and behind the earlobe are both considered wealth spots, so it's not uncommon to see clients getting moles on both sides — front and back, she added.

A physiognomy reader [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

Why Korea reads moles so deeply

Korea’s unusually elaborate mole-reading system — where tiny differences in placement can signify luck, charm, sorrow or success — stems from several deep cultural tendencies.

One is Korea’s strong appetite for categorizing personality and fate.

From blood-type personality charts and zodiac signs to saju (four pillars) readings and the recent MBTI craze, Koreans have always gravitated toward systems that classify people and personalities into specific types.

Physiognomy — and especially the symbolism of facial moles — became an accessible and intuitive code. Interpreting or modifying a mole satisfies a psychological desire for predictability and control over one’s identity and future, experts say.

People line up to buy lottery tickets in front of a shop known as a “lucky spot” in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 30. Lottery sales reached an all-time high last year, totaling 5.95 trillion won ($4.5 billion). [YONHAP]

“There is a strong desire in Korea to change one’s life quickly,” Kim said. “The psychology behind mole interpretation, physiognomy, cosmetic surgery — and even buying lottery tickets — all comes from the same place.”

Korea's turbulent modern history, with periods of foreign invasion, colonization and war, heightened the desire for simple tools to navigate an unpredictable future, says Professor Joo Sun-hee of Physiognomy at Wonkwang Digital University, the nation's first physiognomy Ph.D.

"When life is uncertain, people look for external cues — saju or physiognomy — ways to read what might come next," Joo said. "What was once ‘royal physiognomy,’ used to assess future leaders, eventually filtered into everyday culture."

The Confucian heritage, with its emphasis on social face and the rise of Korea's hypercompetitive appearance-driven society, further accelerated the practice.

Commuters view cosmetic surgery advertisements in a Seoul subway station on July 26, 2012. [JOONGANG ILBO]

As job markets grow more competitive, surveys routinely show that many jobseekers believe cosmetic enhancements can improve employment prospects.

Joo notes that Koreans care intensely about small aesthetic details — “down to the skin texture and even individual eyebrow hairs.” In such a context, mole interpretation naturally merged with beauty culture, giving rise to mole removal or, in contrast, mole tattoos.

And of course, K-culture amplified specific interpretations.

The idea that actresses like Han Ga-in and Jun Ji-hyun, who both have prominent nose moles, became incredibly successful has evolved into a form of collective memory, helping solidify the nose mole as a uniquely Korean “lucky mole” placement, according to Kim.

“There are also many clients who ask to recreate the exact mole their favorite idol or actor has,” tattooist Park said. “Won-young’s [under-eye] mole is always popular. When a celebrity keeps their mole visible and active in the spotlight, demand for that exact placement rises immediately.”

While the symbolism can be culturally interesting, experts caution that a mole shouldn't carry too much weight.

“A mole is something a dermatologist can remove in a minute — you don’t need to pin your life on it,” Joo said. “What truly matters are your expressions, your skin condition and your everyday habits. A positive, well-managed face has far more power than any single mole.”

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]