South Korea Grapples with Weight-Loss Drug Demand Amid Rising Body Image Concerns
A surge in demand for weight-loss medication is sweeping South Korea, even as the nation maintains one of the lowest obesity rates in the developed world. Fueled by increasing body image pressures and readily available drugs, misuse is becoming a significant concern for health authorities, while a new wave of oral medications is poised to enter the market.
The Rise of GLP-1 Medications
Several pharmaceutical companies are preparing to launch new GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) medications in South Korea, with anticipated market entry as early as 2026. Eli Lilly’s oral GLP-1 agonist, orforglipron, is expected to become available in Korea pending approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, according to reports from December 7. Novo Nordisk’s 25-milligram oral semaglutide is also currently under review.
Adding to the expanding options, South Korean drugmaker Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s GLP-1 therapy, efpeglenatide, is slated for release in the second half of 2026, offering additional treatment avenues for both obesity and diabetes.
Global Context and Local Realities
The growing demand in South Korea mirrors a global trend. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued its first guidelines recommending GLP-1 therapies for treating obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease. Despite having one of the lowest obesity rates in the OECD – 5.7% under WHO standards – South Korean health authorities are warning of a growing issue within the country.
South Korea employs a stricter BMI (Body Mass Index) threshold of 25 or above to define obesity, and under this measure, the proportion of adults considered obese has been steadily increasing. In 2024, the obesity rate reached 34.4% under the BMI 25 threshold, a significant rise from 26.3% in 2015. More than half of South Korean men in their 30s and 40s are now classified as obese.
Misuse and Aesthetic Demand
Despite being intended for medical purposes, anti-obesity drugs are increasingly sought after for cosmetic weight loss. Wegovy, a Novo Nordisk product introduced in Korea in October 2024, has already exhibited signs of widespread misuse.
Data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service revealed that, as of August, the drug had been illegally prescribed to 69 children under the age of 12 and 194 pregnant women – both groups for whom the medication is strictly prohibited. The data also showed a concerning trend of prescriptions being written by specialists who do not typically treat obesity, including psychiatrists, urologists, ophthalmologists, and dentists. Authorities uncovered 111 cases of illegal advertising promoting access to the drug without proper medical oversight in the first half of the year.
Gender Disparities and Social Media Influence
Under South Korea’s BMI 25 standard, 41.4% of men are considered obese, nearly double the 23% of women. However, women accounted for 71.5% of all prescriptions for Wegovy and another popular injectable weight-loss drug, Saxenda, issued between 2020 and June 2025.
While official figures on non-medical drug use are unavailable, anecdotal evidence suggests the number is substantial. Experts attribute this trend to South Korea’s intensifying pursuit of thinness, exacerbated by the influence of social media. In July, the Korea Health Promotion Institute issued a public advisory against “distorted body ideals” circulating online, specifically highlighting the “bony arm” trend – where extremely thin arms, with visible bone outlines, are promoted as desirable. The institute noted that the normalization of such body types contributed to a 39% increase in eating-disorder patients between 2020 and 2023. “Trends like the ‘bony arm’ pose a direct threat to public health, especially for adolescents and women,” stated institute chief Kim Heon-joo.
Research from Changwon National University and Soongsil University found that young women exposed to pro-anorexia content often progress from desiring thinness to actively pursuing and maintaining it, frequently reinforced by online communities. International studies, including internal research from Facebook reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2021, have demonstrated that Instagram can worsen body-image issues among teenage girls. These online ecosystems, filled with dieting vlogs, body transformation videos, and “bone skinny” tutorials, are shaping unrealistic beauty standards and driving individuals toward prescription drugs.
Limited Understanding and Growing Concerns
Despite the rising rates of overweight and obesity under local standards, public understanding of obesity as a disease remains limited. A survey by the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity found that only 38% of non-medical respondents viewed obesity as a disease, compared to 90% of doctors. Many still believe obesity can be overcome through willpower alone.
Authorities emphasize that while increased access to treatment is justified by the growing number of medically obese patients, casual or cosmetic use of GLP-1 drugs carries unnecessary risks. In October, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to designate Wegovy, Saxenda, and other anti-obesity drugs as medications at risk of misuse or abuse. “People with normal BMI who take these medications solely for slimming purposes face heightened risks such as anemia, hair loss and muscle loss,” cautioned family medicine professor Kang Jae-hun, at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital.
The situation in South Korea underscores a complex interplay between medical advancements, societal pressures, and the evolving landscape of body image in the digital age.
