Comprehensive Plan "A Healthier Seoul 9988" Announced
100 Physical Fitness Certification Centers to Be Established by 2030
15,000 Restaurants to Offer Whole Grain Rice Options
"Senior Specialized Medical Centers" to Open at City Hospitals
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to extend the healthy life expectancy of Seoul citizens by three years by 2030. This measure comes in response to the annual increase in medical expenses for Seoul residents and growing social interest in health. The city will establish physical fitness certification centers in each district and expand whole grain rice options at restaurants, among other initiatives, to introduce health management support measures throughout the entire social system.
On the morning of September 10, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon announced the comprehensive plan "Healthier Seoul 9988" at Seoul City Hall, stating, "We will support citizens' health not only through individual efforts but also through customized policies and a social system tailored to citizens."
Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon is announcing the comprehensive plan "Healthy City Seoul Comprehensive Plan: A Healthier Seoul 9988" at Seoul City Hall on the 10th. This plan features customized policies and social system support for Seoul citizens through a city of daily exercise, a city of healthy food, a city of healthy aging for seniors, and a healthy city design. 2025.09.10 Photo by Yoon Dongjoo
The Seoul Metropolitan Government noted that the annual medical expenses for Seoul citizens have exceeded 20 trillion won, with those aged 60 and older accounting for 54% (11.5 trillion won) of the total, highlighting the growing social and economic burden. Furthermore, while the current average life expectancy of Seoul citizens is 83.2 years (as of 2022), their healthy life expectancy-living without illness and with vitality-stands at 70.8 years, showing a gap of more than 12 years.
The city will shift its focus from simple financial support to health management through a reorganization of the social system. The core goals are to increase healthy life expectancy by three years (from 70.8 to 74 years) and raise the rate of regular exercise by 3 percentage points (from 26.8% to 30%) by 2030, thereby realizing the vision of "Seoul, a city of lifelong health."
First, the city will operate 100 "Physical Fitness Certification Centers" by 2030, where citizens can assess their physical condition and receive expert diagnoses and exercise prescriptions. The "Seoul Fitness 9988" program will provide incentives such as health points for improved fitness grades. After evaluating each individual's physical condition and exercise capacity, the results will be linked to health management programs to offer personalized exercise plans.
The infrastructure for sports and physical activity will also be expanded. By 2030, the number of "Virtual Reality Sports Rooms," which can be used regardless of weather conditions, will increase to 100, and 100 school sports facilities in local communities will be opened to the public to address health disparities across regions and generations. The city will also increase citizen-participation sports festivals. This fall, a "Slow Marathon" walking event will be held with 5,000 participants. Starting next year, the event will be held seven times annually, and by 2030, it aims to become Seoul's representative health festival with 10,000 participants.
Efforts to improve food choices will also be promoted. The city will introduce whole grain rice options at restaurants, starting with 1,000 establishments this year, expanding to 3,000 next year, and reaching a total of 15,000 by 2030. Participating restaurants will receive certification marks and will be linked to food delivery apps in the future.
Support measures for children are also included. The "Our Kids Healthy Growth Zone" initiative will be implemented at convenience stores and school snack bars, placing healthy foods at children's eye level while removing high-salt and high-sugar products. The program will start with 300 pilot locations next year and expand to 2,000 by 2030. The city also plans to gradually introduce a "Processed Food Nutrition Grading System," which will label beverages, instant noodles, and snacks-popular among citizens-with easy-to-understand grades for sugar and sodium content.
Detailed plan of the comprehensive project "Healthier Seoul 9988" announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 10th. Seoul Metropolitan Government
With Seoul entering a super-aged society, the city has also proposed customized support measures for the elderly. The goal is to introduce an advanced elderly care model (ICOPE) that comprehensively manages not only disease treatment but also nutrition, muscle strength, and cognitive function. To this end, "Senior Specialized Medical Centers" will be established at four municipal hospitals: Seoul Medical Center, Boramae Hospital, Seonam Hospital, and Dongbu Hospital. Through multidisciplinary collaboration among departments such as internal medicine, family medicine, and rehabilitation medicine, the city will provide seamless, one-stop care from patient selection to treatment and post-discharge community linkage, offering optimized services even for seniors with mobility difficulties.
The "Seoul Healthy Longevity Center," which provides systematic health management close to home so that seniors can age healthily in their own communities, will expand from 13 locations in five districts this year to 43 locations in all districts next year. A home health management service is also planned, where visiting nurses will check 64 health indicators, ranging from chronic diseases to depression, during home visits.
The city will also incorporate health elements into various aspects of urban life, such as housing, transportation, and leisure. For example, "Health Rest Benches" will be installed throughout Seoul to create an environment that naturally encourages walking. The city is also considering the inclusion of "Stairs You Want to Climb" from the design competition stage of public buildings. In addition, the "Wrist Doctor 9988" health management platform, currently used by 2.4 million Seoul citizens, will be upgraded. A new system will be introduced to offer up to 3-10% discounts on insurance premiums based on individual walking achievements, encouraging the formation of voluntary healthy habits.
Jung Heewon, Seoul's Chief Health Officer, who participated in the development of this comprehensive plan, stated, "The role of policy and systems is to create a living environment where anyone can choose a healthy lifestyle, regardless of time or economic circumstances," adding, "Our goal is to become a city that implements rapid policies for slow aging, carefully monitoring the health of our citizens."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
