Koreans smoke less, but exercise less, too

More Koreans are smoking less but also exercising less, recent government data showed Tuesday.

According to the Health Ministry, the smoking rate among Korean men dropped from 49.2 percent in 2008 to 45.3 percent last year. Yet the number of Korean men who regularly exercise by walking also dropped from 50.6 percent in 2008 to 37.5 in 2014.

Meanwhile, Korean men who considered themselves to be obese increased from 21.6 percent in 2008 to 25.3 percent. The number of heavy drinkers stayed about the same from 2008 to 2014 at around 18 percent.

Data also showed that only one-third of Korean men don’t smoke, avoid heavy drinking and exercise regularly all at the same time. Seoul, Daejeon and Incheon had the highest number of people who regularly exercise and avoid smoking and drinking.

The Health Ministry last year formed a special task force to combat obesity as the number of Koreans with the condition increased significantly over the past decade. In 2010, a total of 212 municipal governments introduced measures to ban smoking in public spaces, including schools and bus stops.

The smoking rates of three particular regions ― Tongyeong, in South Gyeongsang Province, Namyangju of Gyeonggi Province, and Gangdong of Seoul City ― decreased by more than 8 percent in the last two years after the regional governments banned smoking in certain public spaces.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)