South Korea’s Life Expectancy Continues to Rise Despite Most People Thinking They are Unhealthy

This does not surprise me at all:

Koreans have the fifth-highest life expectancy among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries, but few of them think they are healthy, according to a government report. 

The report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, based on data from the OECD, said babies born in 2017 are expected to live 82.7 years, up by 3.5 years from 2007. This is the fifth-highest in OECD countries, with its average at 80.7. Girls born in 2017 were expected to live 85.7 years, six years longer than boys. (…..)

Despite better health, Koreans don’t think they are in good health, as only 29.5 percent think they are healthy. The ratio was the lowest of OECD countries. Contrary to Korea, 88.5 percent of people in Canada and 87.9 percent in the United States think thought they were healthy.

Korea’s suicide rate ranked second, with 24.6 out of every 100,000 people in 2016, after Lithuania with 26.7.Koreans have the fifth-highest life expectancy among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries, but few of them think they are healthy, according to a government report. 

The report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, based on data from the OECD, said babies born in 2017 are expected to live 82.7 years, up by 3.5 years from 2007. This is the fifth-highest in OECD countries, with its average at 80.7. Girls born in 2017 were expected to live 85.7 years, six years longer than boys. (…..)

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but I think the bad environmental conditions in South Korea combined with constant stress and the wellness craze is what causes Koreans to think they are not healthy despite their ever growing life expectancy.