"One in 10 High School Students is Over 180cm Tall"… Taller South Korea to Increase Size of Student Desks and Chairs

[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Larger-sized student desks and chairs are expected to be introduced early next year to allow students taller than 180 cm to study comfortably.

On the 27th, the National Institute of Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it will apply the revised Korean Industrial Standards (KS) for 'student desks and chairs,' which include new sizes for student desks and expanded seat dimensions (the part where the hips rest) of chairs, starting from the 28th.

The current student desks and chairs were introduced based on the standard height set in 2001.

However, as the average height and weight of elementary, middle, and high school students in South Korea have steadily increased, complaints about the discomfort of desks and chairs have been raised. In response, the National Institute of Technology and Standards prepared a revision using data from student health checkups on height and weight provided by the education offices and Korean anthropometric survey data.

In fact, over five years (2014?2018), the average height of students increased by 0.2 cm, 0.73 cm, and 0.25 cm for elementary, middle, and high school students respectively. Average weight also increased by 0.65 kg, 1.49 kg, and 1.52 kg respectively. For middle and high school students, the average weight of male students increased by 2.33 kg and 2.27 kg respectively, while female students increased by 0.66 kg and 0.83 kg respectively. Notably, among high school students, 11.8% of male students?about one in ten?are taller than 180 cm.

Desk and Chair Sizes by Lake
[Provided by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy · Resale and DB prohibited] [Image source = Yonhap News]

The National Institute of Technology and Standards stated, "Currently, the minimum length of chair seats is greater than the hip width in only 51.5% of cases, meaning nearly half (48.5%) of students study on chairs narrower than their hip width." They added that a new size 7 (based on a height of 195 cm), larger than the current largest size 6 (based on 180 cm), will be introduced, and the minimum seat length of chairs will be increased by 2?4 cm depending on the size.

Strength and durability standards have also been raised to accommodate increased body weight. For example, the weight of the weight used to test desk safety has been increased from 45 kg to 60 kg, and the force intensity and number of repetitions used in chair strength and durability tests have been raised from 1,300 N to 1,600 N and from 12,500 times to 25,000 times, respectively.

Additionally, testing methods have been added to verify the quality of functional products that can be used in changed classroom environments, such as desks with adjustable tabletops, desks with casters, and chairs with footrests, to enhance their reliability.

The National Institute of Technology and Standards plans to ensure that manufacturers renew their KS certification without disruption according to the revised standards starting early next year and will inform education offices so they can purchase the improved desks and chairs.

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