Croffles, brown sugar bubble tea, tanghulu, Dubai chocolate cookies.
These desserts that swept through South Korea's food scene since 2020 share one thing in common: they are "sugar bombs." As concerns mount over Koreans' excessive sugar consumption, a new survey reveals that one in six Koreans is consuming sugar beyond recommended levels.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's analysis of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey released on the 9th, total sugar intake among Koreans rose from 58.7 grams in 2020 to 59.8 grams in 2023.
While total sugar consumption has declined significantly from 67.9 grams in 2016, intake remained in the 58-gram range from 2020 to 2022 before climbing to 59.8 grams in 2023.
The proportion of excessive sugar consumers—defined as those deriving more than 20% of total energy intake from sugar—reached 16.9% in 2023. This means approximately one in six Koreans consumes excessive amounts of sugar.
The excessive consumption rate has risen steadily from 15.2% in 2020, to 15.8% in both 2021 and 2022, and 16.9% in 2023, though it remains below the 2016 level of 19.2%. By age group, children aged 1-9 showed the highest rate at 26.7%, followed by those aged 10-18 at 17.4% and 19-29 at 17.0%. By gender, women showed a higher excessive consumption rate of 21.0% compared to 12.9% for men.
Beverages and teas ranked as the top source of total sugar intake, followed by fruits, dairy products and frozen desserts, and bread and confectionery. Notably, excessive sugar consumers consumed more than three times the amount of beverages and fruits compared to others. For beverages and teas, excessive consumers averaged 30.4 grams versus 10.94 grams for non-excessive consumers. For fruits, the figures were 33.5 grams versus 8.64 grams.
"While it is positive that total sugar intake has somewhat decreased compared to the past, consumption through beverages and frozen desserts with high added sugar content remains substantial," the KDCA said. "Continued policy and environmental efforts are needed to reduce sugar intake."
Meanwhile, political discussions on imposing a sugar levy—similar to tobacco taxes—have intensified since President Lee Jae-myung recently mentioned the need to introduce such a measure.
Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Soo-jin and Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Kim Sun-min have each proposed amendments to the National Health Promotion Act. The bills would impose levies on manufacturers and importers of sweetened beverages based on added sugar content, with proceeds directed toward chronic disease prevention and public healthcare.
Some critics argue the sugar levy amounts to a "backdoor tax increase." Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryoung said the impact on consumer prices would be limited if the levy is restricted to sweetened beverages.