Military statistics show Korean Gen Z men growing heavier
Young men wait to undergo physical examinations for the year's first military draft at the Gyeongin branch office of Military Manpower Administration in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Feb. 1, 2023. Newsis
Growing health polarization as normal-weight shares decline among young Korean men: military data
The average weight of 19-year-old Korean men rose nearly 4 kilograms over a decade, and the obesity rate increased by about 8 percentage points.
The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) announced Friday it designated the health indicators for 19-year-old Korean men as official national statistics and will publish the data annually. The statistics are based on conscription medical exam data from all 19-year-old Korean men and cover 24 indicators, including body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, liver function, complete blood counts and mental health.
A chart generated by artificial intelligence
Men born in 1996 weighed an average of 69.44 kilograms at age 19, while those born in 2006 weighed 73.37 kilograms, marking an increase of 3.93 kilograms. The weight gains were disproportionate: The heaviest 10 percent gained an average of 7.8 kilograms, compared with just 0.6 kilograms among the lightest 10 percent.
The share classified as obese, defined as a body mass index of 25 or higher, rose from 23 percent to 31 percent, while the share of those at a normal weight fell from 49 percent to 41 percent. Men classified as obese had higher systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels than those classified as underweight, highlighting concurrent cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors.
The MMA said the shift transforms conscription examination data, previously used only for medical classifications to determine eligibility for military service, into a foundation for national youth health policy. The statistics will be published annually through the Korean Statistical Information Service and the Public Data Portal, with anonymized data available for research.
MMA Commissioner Hong So-young said the agency will continue to develop the statistics to support public health promotion and future health policy.
"We will also release the data for private sector innovation," Hong said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.