Korea's obesity hits 38%, child obesity cases double in the past decade: study

Abdominal obesity among Koreans in their thirties and forties has reached 42 per cent and continues to rise, according to new research.

This condition of having excessive “active fat” stored deep within the abdomen, surrounding organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines, is strongly linked to serious health risks.

A new study also found that when both parents are obese, their child’s risk of obesity increases by 5.9 times, with girls facing nearly seven times a higher risk.

Professor Han Kyung-do of Soongsil University in Seoul led the editorial team for the “2025 Obesity Fact Sheet” of the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO).

It analysed data from Korea’s National Health Insurance Service’s general health check-ups (2014-2023) and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s national nutrition surveys.