Nearly one in every 10 residents of Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, is obese — almost double the obesity rate of the city's district with the lowest obesity rate — according to government data Sunday.
Geumcheon-gu in the southwestern part of the South Korean capital recorded an 8.55 percent obesity rate in 2025, according to the National Health Insurance Service data revealed by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the main opposition People Power Party. This was the highest of 25 districts in Seoul, and 1.8 times the obesity rate of Seocho-gu (4.82 percent) — the lowest in the city.
The data used the international standard for obesity, a body mass index of 30 or higher; the Korean standard is BMI 25 or higher.
Geumcheon-gu also led the percentage of those who have a BMI between 25 and 30, at 32.36 percent.
The data showed that 21 of the 25 districts in Seoul were below the national obesity rate of 7.83 percent.
Onjin-gun in Incheon recorded the highest obesity rate country-wide at 11.21 percent. This was more than double the 4.47 percent in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, the lowest region in Korea.
Four counties in Gangwon Province made the top 10 in terms of obesity rates, Yangju-gun (10.33 percent), Hwacheon-gun (10.21 percent), Cheolwon-gun (10.13 percent), and Inje-gun (10.08 percent).
Regions in the greater Seoul area were near the bottom of the list. Gangnam-gu district (4.89 percent), Songpa-gu (5.7 percent), Yongsan-gu (5.82 percent), Bundang-gu of Seongnam city in Gyeonggi Province (5.06 percent), and Suji-gu of Yongin in the same province (5.37 percent) were in the bottom 10.
Many of the lowest obesity rates were in more affluent regions. Gangnam, Songpa and Seocho are often referred to as "Gangnam 3 districts" due to the relatively high income of their residents.
"We need a state-level response to the obesity rate disparity, which differs by more than twice depending on where you live," Kim said. "The government needs to actively push for a health plan custom fit for each region."
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
