South Korea
Leading cause: Cancer · 75% plant-based · 83 yr life expectancy · UHC 88/100
What People Eat
Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study: kimchi, doenjang, and vegetable-rich diet strongly protective against CVD.
Disease Burden
Leading cause of death: Cancer · 148 / 100k
Bars show each rate against the global range; the tick marks the world median.
South Korea combines very low heart disease (32/100k) with cancer (148/100k) leading its mortality. The KoGES cohort ties its kimchi-, fermented-soy- and vegetable-rich diet to strong cardiovascular protection, but salt-heavy ferments and fast-rising Western food intake are pushing rates of obesity and metabolic disease upward.
Healthcare System
Sources: WHO UHC Service Coverage Index (SDG 3.8.1) & WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. Latest available year.
What Could Improve
- Moderate the high salt in kimchi and soybean pastes, linked to stomach cancer and hypertension.
- Resist the rapid westernization of the diet eroding the traditional pattern's benefits.
- Preserve the high vegetable and fermented-soy intake behind the low CVD rate.
Explore the evidence: Cancer
KoGES · Joung et al., 2018 · 500,000 participants
→ 83yr life expectancy · Rising fast with westernization