About 3 in 10 South Korean students were classified as obese or overweight last year, reversing a four-year decline, government data showed.
The share of students in the obesity group rose to 29.7 percent, up 0.4 percentage point from a year earlier. The figure marked a turnaround after three consecutive years of decline since 2021.
By school level, the rate was highest among high school students at 31 percent, followed by elementary school students at 29.7 percent and middle school students at 28.2 percent.
The increase was linked to low physical activity. Only 41.1 percent of middle school students and 29.1 percent of high school students reported engaging in vigorous exercise at least three times a week.
don@heraldcorp.com
