Applications open until January 21 next year
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on December 22 that, together with the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, it will expand the "National Fitness 100" program by increasing the number of government-funded fitness certification centers to 101, 26 more than the current number.
The National Fitness 100 program is a nationwide sports welfare service that measures and evaluates physical fitness using scientific methods and provides counseling and exercise prescriptions to improve the health and fitness of the public. Launched in 2012, the program currently operates 82 fitness certification centers nationwide, where the general public can have their fitness measured and receive a fitness certificate or a participation certificate. Of these 82 centers, 75 are government-funded, and last month, 7 new centers operated by local governments were newly designated.
The Ministry and the Foundation plan to secure an additional 2.5 billion KRW in the 2026 budget to establish 26 new certification centers. Applications for the new centers will be accepted until January 21 of next year. In total, 35 centers are included in the call for applications: 26 new centers and 9 centers that have not been re-designated. Among the institutions that submit applications, those that meet the designation criteria set out in Article 16-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the National Sports Promotion Act will undergo on-site inspections, and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism will make the final designation. Detailed information about the application process can be found on the National Fitness 100 website.
The Ministry stated that, with the secured budget, it plans to overall reduce reservation inconveniences and will completely replace outdated analog fitness measurement equipment with the latest digital devices, allowing fitness to be measured and exercise to be prescribed using artificial intelligence at the certification centers.
As of December 15, the Ministry reported that approximately 320,000 people have received fitness certification at the centers this year, and 2.2 million have participated in fitness improvement classes. Based on the 75 government-funded fitness certification centers, this means that about 33,000 people used each center on average.
A research team from Gyeongsang National University, analyzing the long-term trends of the "National Fitness 100" program as part of the "2025 National Fitness Measurement Statistics" study, found that the proportion of participants achieving "health fitness" (fitness levels recommended to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, etc., and prevent illness among Koreans by age group) has steadily increased since the program's inception. In addition, participants who took part more than twice a year showed significant improvements across major fitness indicators.
A policy official from the Ministry stated, "We will gradually expand the certification centers to become the closest partner to all citizens, helping everyone lead healthier and happier lives based on strong physical fitness," and added, "We will continue to closely monitor changes in the fitness of participants in the National Fitness 100 program and actively reflect these findings in our policies. We ask for the continued interest and cooperation of the public."
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