Overweight and obesity are alarming problems in Korea as they are increasingly becoming the cause of death and dangerous diseases.
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Overweight and obesity affect health. (Source: Pixabay) |
On December 19, the Korea Statistics Agency (KOSTAT) released a report showing that 112,000 people died in 2022 due to diseases related to overweight and obesity. This number increased by 7.5% compared to 2021. These people were also diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, cancer and hormone production disorders such as diabetes.
KOSTAT noted that obesity ranked fifth in terms of factors that affect health and can develop into major diseases. High blood pressure topped the list, followed by smoking, high blood sugar and low body weight from birth.
In addition to the health issues mentioned above, the report also analyzes changing social trends in many areas, including population, households, living conditions, marriage and climate change.
The problem of late marriage and singlehood is on the rise. The proportion of unmarried individuals in their 40s increased 6.7 times for men and 5.7 times for women in 2020 compared to 20 years earlier.
The report found that 23.6% of men and 11.9% of women in their 40s were unmarried in 2020, compared with just 3.5% and 2.1% respectively in 2000.
In addition, the report found that only a small proportion of unmarried people aged 19-34 consider marriage to be necessary. The majority of people in this age group have positive attitudes towards non-traditional forms of marriage, such as cohabitation or having children out of wedlock.
As South Korea grapples with a rapidly aging population, the report found that people aged 65 and over will account for 43.1 percent of households nationwide in 2040, up from 24.1 percent in 2022.
Among other trends observed are changes in the agricultural sector due to climate change. Due to more adverse weather conditions, the harvested area of major crops such as rice, beans and potatoes decreased by up to 73% between 1975 and 2024.
In terms of other social trends, the report also said that drug crimes are on the rise and that South Korea is no longer a “drug-free” country. The number of people arrested for illegal drug use in South Korea increased 2.8 times to 27,611 from 2013 to 2023.
Of these, the group of minors or those in their 20s accounted for the largest proportion, with 35.6% in 2023. The total number of people arrested for illegal drug trafficking in 2023 was 12,226, an increase of 3.6 times compared to 10 years ago.
Prescription drug abuse also increased during the same period. A total of 169 people died after overdosing on sleeping pills, painkillers and other drugs that can be purchased as pills. That’s up about 3.8 times from the 44 cases recorded in 2012.
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