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Vol.50 No.3
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From the Poorest to the Tallest in East Asia: The Secular Trend in Height of South Koreans

Korea Journal / Korea Journal, (P)0023-3900; (E)2733-9343
2010, v.50 no.3, pp.151-175
https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2010.50.3.151
(University of Tübingen)

& (2010). From the Poorest to the Tallest in East Asia: The Secular Trend in Height of South Koreans. Korea Journal, 50(3), 151-175, https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2010.50.3.151
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Abstract

It is generally accepted that the Republic of Korea underwent an impressive economic transition in the past century. In a similar vein, human stature improved enormously over this same time period. This paper shows that the height of South Korean men increased drastically from 169 cm in cohorts born after the Korean War to 175 cm in cohorts born in 1983. South Koreans are now among the tallest of the entire Asian continent. Moreover, young South Koreans are also rapidly catching up to the heights of the most economically prosperous nations. This article also found that social differences based on height stratified by educational attainment were negligible in South Korea;interestingly and ironically, this is distinct from socialist North Korea, where highly educated people were about 1 to 2 cm taller. Rapid economic development combined with the introduction of nationwide high-protein feeding programs in primary schools are the likely causes for this remarkable and uniform growth spurt.

keywords
health, nutrition, standard of living, stature, height, anthropometry

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