One in Four Elementary, Middle, and High School Students in Korea Are Obese or Overweight

Obesity Disease Classification
Major Causes of 8 Types of Cancer

"Lack of Attention to Teenage Obesity Issues
Ministries of Health and Education Must Actively Respond Together"

Jeong Chun-sook, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] One in four elementary, middle, and high school students in South Korea is overweight or obese.

According to data submitted to Rep. Chun-sook Jeong of the Democratic Party of Korea by the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, the overweight and obesity rates among South Korean elementary, middle, and high school students over the past five years were 21.8% in 2015, 22.9% in 2016, 23.9% in 2017, 25% in 2018, and 25.8% in 2019. While the overweight rate increased by 0.8% over the past five years, obesity increased by 3.2%, indicating that the obesity problem is more severe.

Obesity increases the risk of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension compared to normal weight individuals, causes various cancers, and raises the risk of death. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies obesity as a disease and identifies it as a major cause of eight types of cancer (colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, and gallbladder cancer).

Rep. Jeong Chun-sook pointed out, "South Korea announced the 'National Comprehensive Obesity Management Plan' in July 2018 through a joint effort of related ministries, but there is a lack of interest and policies specifically addressing obesity issues among teenagers."

Rep. Jeong emphasized, "Obesity is a disease, and social attention must be paid especially to teenage obesity. Now, the government should step forward to present concrete guidelines and, if necessary, establish a control tower centered on the Ministry of Health and Welfare to actively address teenage obesity issues together with the Ministry of Education."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.