From the second half of this year, a "Physical Fitness Certification Center," where anyone living in Seoul can measure their fitness level and receive a tailored exercise prescription from an expert, will operate at one location in each district. In addition, restaurants will allow customers to choose whole grains or mixed grains instead of white rice, and convenience stores and school snack bars will prioritize stocking health foods. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would enable citizens to manage their own health in this way and raise healthy life expectancy by 3 years.
On the 10th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a comprehensive plan called "A Healthier Seoul 9988" that includes these measures.
A Healthier Seoul 9988 is a policy the Seoul Metropolitan Government is pursuing to improve citizens' health. It aims to raise healthy life expectancy by 3 years from the current 70.8 years to 74 years and increase the exercise practice rate by 3 percentage points from 26.8% to 30%.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "The city that Seoul envisions is a healthy city where all citizens enjoy their daily lives in good health and happiness," adding, "We will elevate health as a core value of municipal administration and move toward a world-class 'healthy city.'"
To that end, the city plans to expand facilities for daily exercise and create an environment where healthy food is the default. The plan announced that day is largely divided into four key tasks — ▲ a city that exercises 365 days a year ▲ a city with healthy food ▲ a city for healthy aging for seniors ▲ healthy city design — and consists of 14 core projects.
First, it will operate Physical Fitness Certification Centers starting in the second half of the year and increase the total to 50 by next year. It then aims to operate 100 by 2030. It will also increase citizen-participation sports events that people can join easily in daily life. This fall, it will host a walking-format "Slow Marathon" with 5,000 citizens participating. Starting next year, it will increase the frequency to seven times a year and expand it into a health festival with 10,000 citizens by 2030.
It will also expand community sports facilities. By 2030, it will increase the number of "virtual reality sports rooms," which can be used regardless of weather, to 100. It also plans to open 100 school sports facilities in each region to citizens.
It will also support improvements in eating habits. This reflects the increase in citizens with chronic diseases as delivery orders and instant food consumption have risen. The hypertension diagnosis rate among Seoul citizens rose from 18.9% in 2018 to 20.2% last year. Diabetes also increased from 7.1% to 8.4%.
In response, the city will promote "A Refreshing Whole-Grain Meal" to spread healthy eating habits. The program allows people to choose whole grains or mixed grains instead of refined white rice even when dining out or ordering delivery. It will start with 1,000 locations this year, expand to 3,000 next year, and reach a total of 15,000 by 2030. Participating businesses will receive a certification mark, and the program will later be linked with delivery apps.
It will fully introduce "Our Kids' Healthy Growth Zone," which prioritizes placing health foods on shelves at children's eye level, focusing on convenience stores and school snack bars. It will start with a pilot at 300 locations next year and expand to 2,000 by 2030. It will also increase institutional cafeterias applying "Seoul Future Table," a group meal service with balanced menus. It will start with 500 locations this year and aims to apply it to 3,000 by 2030.
In line with the entry into a super-aged society, it will establish facilities to manage aging among older adults. It will set up "Senior Specialized Medical Centers" at four city-run hospitals — Seoul Medical Center, Boramae Medical Center, Seonam Hospital, and Dongbu Hospital — to provide multidisciplinary care, including internal medicine, family medicine, and rehabilitation medicine. Through this, it plans to offer optimized services to seniors with limited mobility through seamless one-stop care, from patient triage to treatment and post-discharge community linkage.
To help seniors age in place where they have lived, the "Seoul Healthy Longevity Center," which provides nearby management, will be expanded from 13 locations in 5 districts this year to 43 locations in all districts next year. By 2030, it will increase to 100 locations, providing services to a total of 800,000 seniors. At the Healthy Longevity Center, specialists by field — including physicians, nurses, dietitians, and exercise professionals — will support everything from preventive management such as exercise, nutrition, and emotional support to integrated care.
In addition, the city will improve urban infrastructure so citizens can naturally practice healthy habits in daily life. First, it will install "health rest benches" throughout Seoul. After a pilot installation along key activity routes, such as around supermarkets and welfare facilities, in 10 neighborhoods across five districts with high proportions of older adults, it plans to expand to 100 neighborhoods in all districts by 2027.
Jeong Hee-won, Seoul's chief health officer, who participated in developing the strategy, said, "It is the role of policy and systems to create a living environment where any citizen can choose a healthy lifestyle regardless of time or financial circumstances," adding, "We will aim to be a city that pursues 'high-speed policies for slow aging' and carefully look after citizens' health."