Average South Korean conscript gains 4 kg in a decade

South Korean Army Special Warfare Command soldiers conduct a 10-kilometer beach run as part of maritime infiltration training on July 31 2026 Courtesy of the ROK Army — South Korean Army Special Warfare Command soldiers conduct a 10-kilometer beach run as part of maritime infiltration training on July 31, 2026. Courtesy of the ROK Army

SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - South Korea's average military conscript is now nearly 4 kilograms heavier than a decade ago, underscoring a decade-long expansion of the nation's waistline that has pushed obesity to nearly one in three 19-year-old men, government data showed Friday.

The Military Manpower Administration said that the data is based on military service examinations conducted on Korean men at age 19. The indicators cover 24 categories, including body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, liver function, blood tests and mental health-related classifications.

This year’s analysis covered 2.95 million records from 11 years of screening data for men born between 1996 and 2006.

According to the agency, the average weight of 19-year-old men rose from 69.44 kilograms to 73.37 kilograms over the 10-year period, an increase of 3.93 kilograms.

The rise was more pronounced among heavier young men. The average weight of those in the top 10 percent increased by 7.8 kilograms, while the figure for those in the bottom 10 percent rose by only 0.6 kilogram. This means the weight gain among the heaviest group was about 13 times larger than that of the lightest group.

The share of men classified as obese, defined as having a BMI of 25 or higher, climbed from 23 percent to 31 percent, up 8 percentage points. Over the same period, the share of men with normal weight fell from 49 percent to 41 percent, also an 8 percentage-point drop.

The data also showed that obese men had higher systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels than underweight men, suggesting that risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are increasing alongside weight gain.

The agency said the statistics are significant because they are based on standardized medical exams conducted under established procedures for military service classification. It said the accumulated data can be used not only for determining fitness for military duty but also as basic material for national health policy targeting young adults.

The statistics will be published annually through the Korean Statistical Information Service and the public data portal. Raw data may also be made available for research purposes after personal information is removed, the agency said.

Kim Hee-su

Average South Korean conscript gains 4 kg in a decade

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