Korean Job Discussion Forums

[laogaiguk]

Dev made a point I hadn't thought of. Does anyone else find Koreans are getting fatter, even only in the year I have been here, and especially compared to China and Japan

[Kiwi Paul]

[kermo]

I'd gladly swear that a good percentage of my students have gotten fatter just over the summer holidays. A surprising number of chubby girls on campus too.

[ttompatz]

[Talbain]

As nations get richer, they get plumpier as well. There are goods and bads to having a wealthy economy, though most of the bads could be resolved if people would decide to take on more personal responbilities.

[kermo]

[kigolo1881]

I've been to Japan, China and Vietnam within the past 12 months and must say that being in Korea, i noticed alot of chubby kids. Granted most koreans are taller than the avg. asian, but especially the girls who have a somewhat smaller stature (middle schoolers and up) have unusually large calfs...i mean they are borderlining "kangles"......

[JongnoGuru]

[SPINOZA]

People exaggerate a bit here I feel. Yes, you do see a few chubby Korean kids (hardly surprising as they stuff themselves with ice cream and candy and suh-neck - all of which very cheap, so I do not necessarily see a connection with wealth either) but it's hardly sweeping the nation. Korea still contains by far the most slim people of any society I've seen. I see chubby kids at school, but seriously, what percentage of the whole are they? I say less than 5% and in girls it's wildly uncommon.

I see a tenuous link between wealth and obesity these days. I see a clear link between poverty and obesity however, although don't know whether that applies to Korea. Definitely applies in the West though, dunnit? Mississippi is the fattest state and the poorest. The fattest areas of England are all poorer parts of northern England (such as Bradford, Hull, Sunderland) whilst the slimmest parts of England are all in the richest, most expensive districts of London.

[Real Reality]

Korea feeling the ravages of obesity
A foreign traveler taking a cursory look at Seoul's downtown streets may be startled to find so many slim women and men walking around. But that can be gravely misleading, given that more than 30% of the population over 20 years of age are considered obese in this country, long proud of healthful traditional dishes. As today's children eat more greasy foods and sugar-laden snacks, the percentage is projected to go up to as high as 50 percent within two decades.
by Sangho Chung, JoongAng Daily (August 27, 2006)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200608/27/200608272228272509900090109012.html

Overweight? Drop the soju, cut the pork
Last month, the Health Ministry said a survey conducted from April to June found that 32.4 percent of Korean adults were obese, 1.6 times as many as 10 years ago.
by Hwang Se-hee, JoongAng Daily (December 10, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200512/09/200512092123580279900091009101.html

[JeJuJitsu]

Looking at Body Mass Index on nationmaster.com, Korea and Japan are tied for the skinniest people on earth at 3.2% (of countries measured) body fat. By contrast, USA, Mexico & UK are 1,2 and 3 respectively at 30%-23% body fat.

So much for the anecdotes on this thread--though even I would swear I have an unexpecteldy high numbers of chubby students.

[laogaiguk]

[JeJuJitsu]

[eamo]

[laogaiguk]