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Korea Herald
20-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
More foreigners eligible for health insurance, while number of Korean subscribers falls
Increase in foreign residents required to sign up to the state program in 2024 is accelerating An increasing number of foreign nationals are required to join South Korea's state-run health insurance program between 2020 and 2024, reflecting the growing population of longer-term foreign residents. The number of Koreans who are signed up, however, is decreasing due to the country's record-low birth rate. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service submitted to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party, 59,662 Vietnamese and 56,425 Chinese nationals were newly added to the National Health Insurance system in 2024. This represents a sharp rise from 2020, when 13,714 Vietnamese and 30,129 Chinese nationals were added. According to an October report by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, there were 1.93 million foreign nationals residing in Korea for at least three months as of 2023. It marked the highest figure since the governmental tally began in 2006, and was up 10.4 percent from the year before. Vietnamese and Chinese nationals were the two biggest groups of foreigners living here. The Korean population in the country have been declining since 51.82 million in 2020, marking 51.17 million as of April of this year. "The number of Koreans eligible for the health insurance is shrinking due to issues like low fertility, yet the foreigners are rising. There needs to be a comprehensive measure to account for the changing situation," Rep. Kim said. Korean law states that foreign nationals who have resided here for at least six months are required to subscribe to the state-run health insurance program, with few exceptions granted to those with F-6 marriage migrant visa. Rep. Kim stressed that the new administration to be formed after the June 3 presidential election must consider adopting a "reciprocal" health care policy for foreigners. She, in January, along with 25 other lawmakers, proposed a revision to the law that would make foreign nationals from countries that do not offer health care benefits equivalent to Korea's ineligible to enroll in Korea's health insurance or be registered as a beneficiary. The proposal said this was to prevent foreign nationals from briefly visiting Korea for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the insurance coverage. However a law passed under the Moon administration required a minimum stay of 6 months for independent subscribers, and legislation passed under the Yoon administration closed a loophole for dependents. It said that Chinese nationals in 2023 received 874.3 billion won ($624.3 million) in benefits while paying in 810.3 billion won in subscription fees. In 2024, 17,087 foreign nationals unlawfully received benefits from the state insurance program, garnering 2.55 billion won in total. However other data shows foreign subscribers to be net contributors to the system. In 2023, foreign subscribers paid 2.04 trillion won ($1.47 billion) in fees, while receiving 1.27 trillion won in benefits, according to National Health Insurance Service data released last year by Rep. Nam In-soon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
The Star
13-05-2025
- General
- The Star
Man in South Korea blames parents for short stature, publicly vows murder
SEOUL: A recent online post in South Korea has sparked controversy after a user, claiming he faced romantic rejections due to his height, threatened to murder his father. In an anonymous post on Everytime, an online platform for college students, the person who described himself as standing 167cm tall, expressed frustration with his parents over his lack of romantic success. He posted that he has never had a girlfriend and shared that his mother advised him to ask friends to set him up on dates, while his father told him to avoid women who judge him for his height. He also wrote that his father is 165cm tall and his mother 156cm. When people responded negatively to the post, he hit back, "How would you feel if someone committed an unspeakable crime to you and subjected you to PTSD, then blatantly told you to get over it?" Another user pointed out that the writer's father was able to get married despite being shorter, to which the original poster said that "rapists could get married then." The extreme beliefs by this particular person are not shared by a vast majority of Koreans, but surveys suggest that men and women who are at least slightly taller than average are generally preferred in the dating pool. Local matchmaking company Duo conducted a survey of 1,000 unmarried men and women across the country, which showed the average response from women for the height of an ideal husband to be 178.7cm tall. The average male height in 2022 was 174.43cm for those in their 20s and 174.71cm for those in their 30s, according to the National Health Insurance Service. The survey also showed that the average preferred height for a wife was 164.2cm. The average female height in 2022 was 162.5cm for those in their 20s and 162cm for those in their 30s, the aforementioned NHIS data showed. Research from another matchmaking service, suggested that the difference in height between couples was more important for women than men. Its 2024 survey of 1,062 men and 1,020 women asked the ideal height difference between couples. Men preferred a gap of 6 to 12cm, while women answered 10 to 18cm. - The Korea Herald/ANN
Korea Herald
13-05-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Man blames parents for short stature, publicly vows murder
A recent online post has sparked controversy after a user, claiming he faced romantic rejections due to his height, threatened to murder his father. In an anonymous post on Everytime, an online platform for college students, the person who described himself as standing 167 centimeters tall, expressed frustration with his parents over his lack of romantic success. He posted that he has never had a girlfriend and shared that his mother advised him to ask friends to set him up on dates, while his father told him to avoid women who judge him for his height. He also wrote that his father is 165 centimeters tall and his mother 156 centimeters. When people responded negatively to the post, he hit back, "How would you feel if someone committed an unspeakable crime to you and subjected you to PTSD, then blatantly told you to get over it?" Another user pointed out that the writer's father was able to get married despite being shorter, to which the original poster said that "rapists could get married then." The extreme beliefs by this particular person are not shared by a vast majority of Koreans, but surveys suggest that men and women who are at least slightly taller than average are generally preferred in the dating pool. Local matchmaking company Duo conducted a survey of 1,000 unmarried men and women across the country, which showed the average response from women for the height of an ideal husband to be 178.7 centimeters tall. The average male height in 2022 was 174.43 centimeters for those in their 20s and 174.71 centimeters for those in their 30s, according to the National Health Insurance Service. The survey also showed that the average preferred height for a wife was 164.2 centimeters. The average female height in 2022 was 162.5 centimeters for those in their 20s and 162 centimeters for those in their 30s, the aforementioned NHIS data showed. Research from another matchmaking service, suggested that the difference in height between couples was more important for women than men. Its 2024 survey of 1,062 men and 1,020 women asked the ideal height difference between couples. Men preferred a gap of 6 to 12 centimeters, while women answered 10 to 18 centimeters.
Korea Herald
09-03-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
1 in 6 Korean youths obese, with half at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure: study
About 1 in 6 South Korean students are obese and nearly half of those have at least one risk factor for a metabolic disorder, a study showed Sunday. According to the Health Insurance Research Institute under the National Health Insurance Service, the obesity rate among elementary, middle and high school students was 16.7 percent, while the figure for preschool children aged 1-6 years old stood at 8.3 percent, as of 2023. Overweight children and students made up 17.7 percent and 27.3 percent, respectively, in the same year. In Korea, individuals with a body mass index between 23 and 24.9 are defined as overweight, while 25 and above are seen as obese. The research team analyzed raw data, including health screenings for infants and student health checkups, from an estimated 2,033,033 younger children and 5,209,029 teenagers nationwide in the cited year. The same institute further analyzed the obese students' blood test results and found that nearly half had at least one risk factor for metabolic disorders. Some 20.2 percent of the obese students were in the prediabetes stage, while 1.1 percent were in the diabetic stage. Additionally, 16.4 percent were in the prehypertension stage, while 6.5 percent were suspected to have high blood pressure. Local experts warned about the complications linked to obesity, calling for a proactive approach to the health of younger generations. "Obese kids are at a higher risk for a range of complications like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. And lately, we're seeing these issues pop up more often in teens, even before they become adults," said professor Ryu In-hyuk of the pediatrics department at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. "When it comes to obesity in kids and teens, medications shouldn't be the first choice, even if there are complications. Rather than focusing on rapid weight loss, the key is to improve eating and lifestyle habits in a healthy way." A separate study that came out this month highlighted that obesity has negative effects on the mental health of young people. A research team led by professor Park Kyung-hee from the Department of Family Medicine at Hallym University analyzed the link between food addiction and behavioral issues and found that 44 out of 224 obese children and adolescents, who were at high risk for food addiction, struggled with low self-esteem and poor family functioning, including limited emotional support and communication within their families. Park added, "Obese children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral issues are more likely to develop food addiction tendencies, so it's important to understand, assess and intervene carefully in these cases."
Korea Herald
20-02-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Long-term care spending for seniors doubles in last 5 years
South Korea in 2024 spent 14.76 trillion won ($10.27 billion) in state-provided long-term care benefits for those aged 65 and up, again marking an all-time high as the proportion of older residents in the country keeps climbing. The latest figure marked a substantial increase from the year before and was nearly double the 7.73 trillion won spent five years ago, according to the National Health Insurance Service data submitted to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the ruling People Power Party. The annual figure has climbed every year since 2019, first surpassing 10 trillion won to 10.09 trillion won in 2021, and marking 13.19 trillion won in 2023. Long-term care benefits, a form of social safety net for the elderly in accordance with the Long-term Care Insurance Act, refer to services such as aid in physical activities and household chores or nursing, or money paid in lieu of such services to a person determined to have difficulties living independently for six months or longer. South Korea's workers are mandated to be subscribed to Long-term Care Insurance along with the National Health Insurance program. A total of 1.47 million people applied for long-term care benefits last year, 1.16 million of whom were approved. "Both the number of applicants for long-term care benefits and spending on the benefits are expected to increase as (the country's population) grows older, yet many subscribers are not even aware that they are paying the monthly fees," said Kim. "The system must have a fair and objective (approval) system, so that people who paid insurance fees their entire lives are not rejected in the application process after their retirement. The South Korean government last year officially announced that it has become a super-aged society―a society where more than 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or above. Twenty percent of the country's total 51.22 million population―10.24 million―were aged 65 or above as of December 2024, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Statistics Korea in 2022 projected that the percentage of those 65 or older in the country is expected to surpass 30 percent in 2035, and reach 43 percent of the population by 2050.
