One-third of S. Korean adults overweight: report

The rate of obesity in South Korea reached its highest level ever last year, nearing one third of the entire adult population, according to a report by the National Health Insurance Corporation.

Among the 9.88 million people who received their annual medical examination last year, 3.25 million were overweight, said Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui of the main opposition Democratic Party yesterday.

This was a sudden leap from the 24.1 percent in 2007 and 25.5 percent in 2006.

A grown-up is seen as being overweight when his or her body mass index, calculated by dividing someone's weight by their height squared, is equal to or higher than 25. Especially, the extremely overweight group, with a BMI of 40 or more, almost tripled in size to 23,613 last year from 7,020 in 2007 and 7,957 in 2006. With the rise in obesity, the indexes of obesity-related illnesses have risen accordingly, showed the report.

“As of the end of last year, the number of people who were examined for obesity-rooted diseases, such as diabetes or hypertension, rose by over 50 percent from 19,908 cases back in 2004,” said Rep. Jeon who reviewed the report.

Especially, young people in their 20s have shown a 75 percent increase in such complications during the same period, indicating a general health deterioration from previous generations, the lawmaker said. “Obesity is no longer a personal aesthetic problem, but a serious health issue for the entire society,” she said. “The government now needs to step in with a state-run health program to prevent and manage the growth of obesity and the resulting diseases.”