Seoul Posts Largest Drop in Obesity Rate Nationwide... Effectiveness of 'Wrist Doctor 9988' Confirmed

Seoul's Adult Obesity Rate Drops by 0.8 Percentage Points in 2025
Wrist Doctor 9988 Shows Improvement for 2.9 Million Users
Seoul Expands Physical Fitness Test Centers and Introduces AI Facilities

The adult obesity rate in Seoul decreased by 0.8 percentage points, marking the largest decline among 17 cities and provinces nationwide. The effectiveness of health management policies was also confirmed, as participants in Seoul's representative health management app, Wrist Doctor 9988, showed greater improvements in waist circumference and blood sugar levels compared to non-participants. Based on these results, the city government plans to strengthen its obesity prevention policies.

According to Seoul Metropolitan Government on July 28, the adult obesity rate in Seoul last year was 30.2%, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points from 31.0% in 2024. While obesity rates are rising nationwide, Seoul saw a decrease in its obesity rate.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is inspecting the popup site for the Seoul Physical Fitness Test. Seoul City

The level of healthy behavior among Seoul citizens was also high. In 2025, the walking practice rate is projected at 69.0%, which is 19.8 percentage points higher than the national average of 49.2%. The healthy living practice rate reached 54.3% (national average: 36.1%), and the annual weight management attempt rate logged 74.5% (national: 68.5%). All three indicators ranked the highest among Korea’s 17 cities and provinces, indicating that citizens are proactively engaging in walking, exercise, and weight management in their daily lives.

To support citizens’ continued obesity prevention and promote physical activity, Seoul has been strengthening customized health management programs tailored to each stage of life. For women in their 50s and 60s, who face increased risks of body fat gain and muscle loss due to hormonal changes around menopause, the city developed and piloted a moderate-intensity fitness improvement program in 2024. Since last year, this program has been expanded to public health centers in all 25 districts.

To help citizens detect chronic diseases early and enhance their self-management skills, Seoul is also continuously conducting a metabolic syndrome management project in collaboration with 25 district public health centers. Citizens aged 20 to 69 who live, work, or study in Seoul—including office workers, self-employed individuals, and university (including graduate) students—can visit a metabolic syndrome management center operated by their respective district’s health center to get tested for five key health indicators: waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol. They also receive tailored counseling.

The city is also running the "Metabolic Challenge 9988," which is linked to Wrist Doctor 9988 and allows users to check public health center test results in the app and complete personalized health missions such as walking, exercising, and improving their diet. Currently used by 2.93 million citizens, Wrist Doctor 9988 is a health management service that enables users to monitor their health daily, improve lifestyle habits, and prevent disease. Recently, other local governments have actively benchmarked this program, establishing it as a leading health management model.

Wrist Doctor 9988 is more than just a step counter; it encourages users to practice healthy habits based on measured health data, thereby helping citizens improve their self-management skills.

According to a comparative analysis conducted by Seoul Metropolitan Government, using health checkup data from the National Health Insurance Service for 2021 and 2023, Wrist Doctor 9988 was shown to be effective in improving conditions related to metabolic syndrome. The incidence of new diabetes cases among participants was 7.9% lower than that of non-participants, and the incidence of new hypertension cases was 9.1% lower. Furthermore, participants exhibited significant improvements in waist circumference and blood sugar, which are major risk factors for metabolic syndrome, compared to non-participants.

Seoul plans to expand Wrist Doctor 9988’s functions so it can serve as a "personal health manager in your pocket," allowing citizens to check and manage their health daily. The city also aims to add a "Weight Management Mode" to the Wrist Doctor 9988 app, enabling users to view key indicators related to obesity—such as weight, body fat percentage, and body mass index (BMI)—at a glance.

Additionally, for citizens who are unsure about their fitness level and thus find it difficult to begin exercising, or do not know what exercises to do or to what extent, the Seoul Physical Fitness Test Center offers significant support. Based on individual fitness assessment results at the center, citizens can receive personalized exercise consultations and continuously monitor their health through program participation and follow-up assessments.

The Seoul Physical Fitness Test Center can be reserved and used through the Wrist Doctor 9988 app. The app’s reservation system opens at 1 p.m. every month on the 1st and the 16th. Currently, the city operates a total of 19 centers, including the Seoul National University of Science and Technology direct center, as well as centers in Gwangjin, Dobong, and Jung-gu districts.

Looking forward, Seoul plans to continue expanding the operating hours and accessibility of the Seoul Physical Fitness Test Center and to strengthen the link between individual exercise consultations and local fitness programs, so that fitness assessment results lead to actual exercise implementation. Jo Youngchang, Director of the Seoul Citizens’ Health Bureau, stated, "With obesity emerging as a major social issue, prevention starts with checking your health status regularly and making habits like walking and exercising part of daily life. We will expand customized health management services centered on Wrist Doctor 9988 and the Seoul Physical Fitness Test Center so citizens can monitor their health and maintain it consistently, close to home and work."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.