Geumcheon-gu Provides Sports Activity Support Funds
to Help Young People Develop Exercise Habits...
First-Come, First-Served Recruitment
Some Raise Concerns Over 'Waste of Tax Money'
Geumcheon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) is providing sports activity support funds to help young people develop exercise habits. Recent research shows that one in two men in their 20s and 30s in Korea is obese, and about 30% are in the pre-diabetes or pre-hypertension stage, raising expectations that this project will help improve the health of young people.
A recent study found that one in two men in their 20s to 30s in Korea is obese, and about 30% are in the prediabetic or prehypertensive stage. Getty Images
On the 19th, Geumcheon-gu announced that it will recruit participants for the youth program 'Physical100' starting from the 24th. This project allows participants to use community sports facilities twice a week for four weeks, totaling eight sessions, and receive up to 100,000 KRW in sports activity support funds by submitting exercise photos as proof. Eligible facilities include gyms, yoga studios, swimming pools, and others located in Geumcheon-gu. The recruitment scale is 100 people each in the first and second half of the year, totaling 200 participants, and applicants must be young people aged 19 to 39 residing in Geumcheon-gu. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis from the 24th on the 'Seoul Youth Center Geumcheon Cheongchun Building' website.
This is a reference photo to aid understanding of the article and is unrelated to the main text. Photo by Getty Images
The district plans to hold sports competitions for participants and form community sports groups to help young people interact through exercise. A district official said, "We have been running this project since 2023, and it closes early every year on the first day of application," adding, "The average certification success rate is also as high as 94%, contributing to the formation of exercise habits among the younger generation." Mayor Yu Seong-hoon said, "I hope this project will help young people manage their health and develop exercise habits they can enjoy together," promising, "We will prepare various programs to take care of residents' physical and mental health."
This is a reference photo to aid understanding of the article and is unrelated to the main text. Pixabay
However, some criticism has arisen questioning whether it is appropriate to promote such initiatives using tax money. Netizens who heard the news commented, "It seems like they will just go to take pictures," "Tax money flowing away with just one click," "What on earth is this doing with tax money?" "Is there nowhere else to spend tax money?" "They should rather help the underprivileged," among other criticisms. On the other hand, supportive responses also followed, such as "I think it's a good project because the social costs of obesity are enormous," "It will greatly help reduce health insurance finances," "The obesity rate among 20s and 30s is so serious these days," "It motivates exercise and seems really good," "This is how tax money should be spent," and "Well done, Geumcheon-gu."
Meanwhile, the social and economic loss costs due to obesity were estimated at about 16 trillion KRW as of 2021. This is higher than the costs from smoking (about 11 trillion KRW) and drinking (about 15 trillion KRW), placing a significant burden on health insurance finances. In particular, medical expenses for treating obesity-related complications are known to account for more than half of the total costs. Consequently, calls are growing for systematic national-level prevention and management of obesity.
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