The number of Koreans who exercise and get medical checkups has increased while the smoking and drinking population has fallen over the past two years. The National Statistical Office says this is due to the ever-growing interest in health among Koreans in recent years.

The number of Koreans who work out regularly rose by almost 4 percentage points to over 32 percent of the population. And the number of people who regularly get medical checkups surged to over 42 percent this year, up 13 points from 2006.

The number of smokers over the age of 20 dropped 1 point to around 26 percent and the drinkers dwindled 5 points to 69 percent.

Arirang News