Korean men drinking less, women 30 and up drinking more

High-risk drinking rates among Korean men declined overall across all age groups while those among women aged 30 and older rose, highlighting a growing divergence in the country's drinking habits.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) released an analysis Monday, aiming to raise awareness of excessive drinking during the summer vacation season.

The findings are based on the 2025 Community Health Survey, an annual survey of about 230,000 adults aged 19 and older that tracks health behavior and chronic disease prevalence.

The KDCA defines high-risk drinking as consuming seven or more shots of soju or five or more cans of beer in a single sitting for men.

For women, the threshold is five or more shots of soju or three or more cans of beer.

Both apply to drinking at least twice a week over the past year.

Monthly binge drinking refers to the same amounts consumed at least once a month, while monthly drinking refers to drinking at least once a month over the past year.

In Korea, 57.1 percent of adults drank at least once a month, 33.7 percent binge drank and 12 percent engaged ...