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Korea Herald
9 hours ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
South Koreans live longer, but suicide rate remains highest
Life expectancy rises to 83.5 years, outpacing OECD average by over two years South Korea's life expectancy reached 83.5 years as of 2023, surpassing by 2.4 years the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's average of 81.1 years, a report released by the Paris-based organization showed Wednesday. The same OECD Health Statistics 2025 report released via South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that the country continues to report the highest suicide rate among OECD member nations, despite progress in life expectancy and health outcomes. Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a newborn is expected to live based on current mortality trends. Indicators also show improvements in medical outcomes. South Korea's avoidable mortality rate, which refers to the average number of deaths from preventable causes, stood at 151.0 per 100,000 people in 2022, significantly lower than the OECD average of 228.6. A lower number means the quality of the medical environment is higher. The rate has declined by 3.1 percent on a yearly average over the past decade, indicating a steady improvement in health care quality. The country's infant mortality rate was also lower, at 2.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to the OECD average of 4.1. High suicide, smoking rates with rising obesity Since 2003, the country has topped the list in suicide mortality. The latest comparable data from 2022 showed South Korea's suicide rate stood at 23.2 deaths per 100,000 people — more than twice the OECD average of 10.7. At the same time, there have been signs of gradual improvement. From 2012 to 2022, Korea's suicide rate dropped by 23.4 percent, from 30.3 to 23.2, outpacing the OECD average decline of 16.4 percent over the same period. In 2023, South Korea's current health expenditure amounted to 8.5 percent of gross domestic product, slightly lower than the OECD average of 9.1 percent. However, due to the rapidly aging population, per capita health spending has grown faster than in most countries. Korea's per capita health expenditure rose by an average of 7.8 percent annually over the past decade, compared to the OECD average increase of 5.2 percent. In terms of purchasing power parity, which is a yardstick for comparing the purchasing power of different currencies, the figure stood at $4,586 per capita in 2023. In 2023, 15.3 percent of South Koreans aged 15 and older were classified as daily smokers, higher than the OECD average of 13.2 percent. However, the smoking rate has been steadily declining, down from 19.9 percent in 2013 and 17.5 percent in 2018. Meanwhile, per capita annual alcohol consumption was 7.8 liters in 2023, below the OECD average of 8.6 liters. Alcohol intake, similar to smoking, has trended downward over the past decade. Despite lower rates of overweight and obesity compared to other OECD countries, South Korea is seeing a gradual rise in obesity. In 2023, 36.5 percent of people aged 15 and over had a body mass index of 25 or higher — the second-lowest among OECD countries after Japan at 26 percent. While still low in ranking, this marked an increase from 31.5 percent in 2013 and 34.3 percent in 2018.
The Star
18-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Seoul ends troubled private adoption as ministry takes full control
Adoption reform: A file photo showing social workers caring for babies at a community church in southern Seoul. — AFP THE nation is set to overhaul its adoption system by ending the decades-old practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies, which has led to widespread allegations of abuse. South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. But an official enquiry concluded this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including 'fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents'. The rights of South Korean children had been violated, the landmark investigation by a truth commission found. The independent body established by the state called for an official apology and blamed the government for the issues, especially a failure to regulate adoption fees that effectively turned it into a profit-driven industry. South Korea will introduce a 'newly restructured public adoption system, under which the state and local governments take full responsibility for the entire adoption process,' South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The change is a 'significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children,' the ministry added. International adoption began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children, born to Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, from a country that emphasised ethnic homogeneity. It became big business in the 1970s to 1980s, bringing international adoption agencies millions of dollars as South Korea overcame post-war poverty and faced rapid and aggressive economic development. But the system failed children, the truth commission said in March, with a failure to follow 'proper legal consent procedures' for South Korean birth parents resulting in highly-publicised reports of lost children being put up for overseas adoption. Under the new system, key procedures – such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children – will be deliberated by a ministry committee, in accordance with the principle of the 'best interests of the child'. Activists, however, say the measure should be merely a starting point and warn it is far from sufficient. 'The government should prioritise implementing the findings of the truth commission, issue an official apology, and work to help the tens of thousands of Koreans who were sent abroad for adoption, said writer Lisa Wool-rim Sjoblom, a Korean adoptee who grew up in Sweden. — AFP
Al Jazeera
18-07-2025
- Health
- Al Jazeera
South Korea to end private adoptions after inquiry finds abuse rife
South Korea is set to end the decades-old practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies, after a damaging investigation concluded the country's government-endorsed foreign adoption programme violated the fundamental human rights of adoptees. On Saturday, South Korea will introduce a 'newly restructured public adoption system, under which the state and local governments take full responsibility for the entire adoption process', South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said. South Korea sent more than 140,000 children overseas following the devastating 1950-53 Korean War, when intercountry adoption was encouraged as a solution. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigation concluded earlier this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including 'fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents'. The new change is a 'significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children', the Health Ministry added. Under the new system, key procedures – such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children – will be deliberated by a ministry committee, under the principle of the 'best interests of the child'. Previously, this had been done by major adoption agencies with minimal oversight from the state. The commission blamed the government for the issues, particularly a failure to regulate adoption fees, which turned the industry into a profit-driven one. 'With this restructuring of the public adoption system, the state now takes full responsibility for ensuring the safety and rights of all adopted children,' said Kim Sang-hee, director of population and child policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. International adoption began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children, born to Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, from a country that emphasised ethnic homogeneity. It became big business in the 1970s to 1980s, bringing international adoption agencies millions of dollars as the country overcame post-war poverty and faced rapid and aggressive economic development. Activists say the new measure is only a starting point and warn it is far from sufficient. 'While I think it's high time that Korea close down all private adoption agencies, I don't believe … having the state handle new adoptions is enough,' said writer Lisa Wool-Rim Sjoblom, a Korean adoptee who grew up in Sweden. The government should prioritise implementing the findings of the truth commission, issue an official apology, and work to help the tens of thousands of Koreans who were sent abroad for adoption, Sjoblom told the AFP news agency. 'The government urgently needs to acknowledge all the human rights violations it enabled, encouraged, and systematically participated in, and, as soon as possible, begin reparations.'
New Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
South Korea to end private adoptions after landmark probe
SEOUL: South Korea is set to overhaul its adoption system on Saturday by ending the decades-old practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies, which has led to widespread allegations of abuse. South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. But an official enquiry concluded this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including "fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents." The rights of South Korean children had been violated, the landmark investigation by a truth commission found. The independent body established by the state called for an official apology and blamed the government for the issues, especially a failure to regulate adoption fees that effectively turned it into a profit-driven industry. On Saturday, South Korea will introduce a "newly restructured public adoption system, under which the state and local governments take full responsibility for the entire adoption process," South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The change is a "significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children," the ministry added. International adoption began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children, born to Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, from a country that emphasised ethnic homogeneity. It became big business in the 1970s to 1980s, bringing international adoption agencies millions of US dollars as South Korea overcame post-war poverty and faced rapid and aggressive economic development. But the system failed children, the truth commission said in March, with a failure to follow "proper legal consent procedures" for South Korean birth parents resulting in highly-publicised reports of lost children being put up for overseas adoption. The commission's chairperson, Park Sun-young, said at the time it was a "shameful part" of South Korea's history. Under the new system, key procedures – such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children – will be deliberated by a ministry committee, in accordance with the principle of the "best interests of the child." Previously, this had been done by major adoption agencies, with minimal oversight from the state. "With this restructuring of the public adoption system, the state now takes full responsibility for ensuring the safety and rights of all adopted children," said Kim Sang-hee, director of population and child policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Activists, however, say the measure should be merely a starting point and warn it is far from sufficient. "While I think it's high time that Korea close down all private adoption agencies, I don't believe... having the state handle new adoptions is enough," said writer Lisa Wool-Rim Sjoblom, a Korean adoptee who grew up in Sweden. The government should prioritise implementing the findings of the truth commission, issue an official apology, and work to help the tens of thousands of Koreans who were sent abroad for adoption, she told AFP. "The government urgently needs to acknowledge all the human rights violations it enabled, encouraged, and systematically participated in, and, as soon as possible, begin reparations."
France 24
18-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
South Korea to end private adoptions after landmark probe
South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. But an official enquiry concluded this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including "fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents". The rights of South Korean children had been violated, the landmark investigation by a truth commission found. The independent body established by the state called for an official apology and blamed the government for the issues, especially a failure to regulate adoption fees that effectively turned it into a profit-driven industry. On Saturday, South Korea will introduce a "newly restructured public adoption system, under which the state and local governments take full responsibility for the entire adoption process," South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The change is a "significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children," the ministry added. 'Shameful part' of history International adoption began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children, born to Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, from a country that emphasised ethnic homogeneity. It became big business in the 1970s to 1980s, bringing international adoption agencies millions of dollars as South Korea overcame post-war poverty and faced rapid and aggressive economic development. But the system failed children, the truth commission said in March, with a failure to follow "proper legal consent procedures" for South Korean birth parents resulting in highly-publicised reports of lost children being put up for overseas adoption. The commission's chairperson Park Sun-young said at the time it was a "shameful part" of South Korea's history. Under the new system, key procedures -- such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children -- will be deliberated by a ministry committee, in accordance with the principle of the "best interests of the child". Previously, this had been done by major adoption agencies, with minimal oversight from the state. "With this restructuring of the public adoption system, the state now takes full responsibility for ensuring the safety and rights of all adopted children," said Kim Sang-hee, director of population and child policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Activists, however, say the measure should be merely a starting point and warn it is far from sufficient. "While I think it's high time that Korea close down all private adoption agencies, I don't believe... having the state handle new adoptions is enough," said writer Lisa Wool-Rim Sjoblom, a Korean adoptee who grew up in Sweden. The government should prioritise implementing the findings of the truth commission, issue an official apology, and work to help the tens of thousands of Koreans who were sent abroad for adoption, she told AFP. "The government urgently needs to acknowledge all the human rights violations it enabled, encouraged, and systematically participated in, and, as soon as possible, begin reparations." © 2025 AFP
