Anchor: New data shows that the nation’s overall health is in urgent need of improvement. An annual survey by the country’s disease control agency has found that more South Koreans, particularly young adults, are smoking and are overweight compared with a year ago. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) has announced the results of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2023 and says national health indicators have worsened.

According to the survey, released Tuesday, 32-point-four percent of all men in South Korea were cigarette smokers, as compared with six-point-three percent of women. 

The figure is up two-point-four percentage points for men and one-point-three percentage points for women from 2022. 

The nation’s weight problem had not improved, with 45-point-six percent of men and 27-point-eight percent of women estimated to be overweight. 

In particular, the proportion of women in their 20s and 30s who were overweight saw a sharp rise over that year.  

The survey also found that more women were engaging in high-risk drinking, with their proportion of the total climbing from seven percent in 2022 to seven-point-seven percent in 2023.

The proportion of men and women meeting recommended levels of physical activity remained unchanged at 52-point-five percent. 

Among the age groups studied, health indicators worsened the most for people in their 20s, who engaged in less physical activity while smoking more and gaining more weight. 

The KDCA said it is imperative for young adults to improve health risk factors to prevent chronic diseases, which are affecting more and more adults in their 40s and 50s.

The agency said it will conduct follow-up surveys starting next year to prevent chronic disease and will announce the results of the next Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey three months earlier, in September. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.