Half of Korean Military Officers Now Obese, Soldier Obesity Doubles in Five Years

Nearly half of active-duty officers in the South Korean military are obese, while severe obesity among enlisted soldiers has roughly doubled over the past five years, raising concerns about combat readiness and prompting calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the military's weight management system.

An analysis by The Seoul Economic Daily of data on body mass index (BMI) among active-duty personnel, submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to Rep. Kim Yun of the Democratic Party of Korea on the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, found that the obesity rate among officers (sergeant and above) reached 50% last year, up 2.6 percentage points from 47.4% in 2020. Including those classified as overweight, more than seven in 10 officers are now above normal weight. Severe obesity (BMI of 30 or higher) among officers also rose from 6.8% in 2020 to 7.7% last year.

The increase has been particularly sharp among enlisted soldiers. The obesity rate for enlisted personnel climbed from 26.3% in 2020 to 30.4% last year, while severe obesity nearly doubled from 2.4% to 4.7% over the same period. The figures suggest that even soldiers, for whom physical training is mandatory and activity levels are typically high, are struggling with weight management.

Contributing factors include irregular work and sleep patterns, reduced physical activity following the COVID-19 pandemic, and an aging officer corps. The full implementation of mobile phone use among soldiers has also had an impact, with personal time that was once spent on walks or light exercise now increasingly devoted to smartphone use.

"Unlike in the past when soldiers would take walks or do light exercise during personal time, they now spend more time lying down looking at their phones, which has reduced their activity levels," one active-duty officer said.

Richel Corado, an internist and former U.S. military physician, said obesity is a critical factor in maintaining military combat effectiveness and that the U.S. military is also exploring various solutions to address serious obesity problems within its ranks.

"Since Korean soldiers return to civilian life after discharge, systematic obesity management during their service period—when lifestyle habits are relatively easy to establish—could significantly reduce not only individual health problems but also the broader social costs associated with obesity," Corado said.