A few months ago, South Korea began openly discussing its “national emergency.” The country faces a severe demographic crisis, with the lowest birth rate in the world, prompting desperate measures. In this context, children are considered a “precious commodity” to be nurtured. The pressure for their future success is so high that parents don’t hesitate to enroll them in private academies to make them more competitive or even medicate them if they’re not tall enough.
The news. Nikkei recently reported that this issue is becoming more prevalent in South Korean society. It stems from a deeply ingrained belief that taller people are more likely to succeed.
The problem. As a result, South Korean parents are turning to hormone treatments, supplements, and other methods in hopes of raising taller children. The obsession with their children’s height raises concerns about what some view as an unhealthy focus on appearance.
The belief. In this country, the belief that taller people are more likely to succeed stems from a mix of social and cultural factors. One is the perception that height is linked to good health and nutrition, which can signal socioeconomic status in a rapidly developing country.
Additionally, in South Korea’s competitive work environment, physical traits such as height are considered valuable assets in certain professions, reinforcing the notion that being taller can lead to greater success in life and business.
Case in point. Kim Shin-young, a 43-year-old resident of southern Seoul, shared her experience with her 11-year-old son’s nonrefundable growth hormone injections, which began two and a half years ago. She told the Korean Biomedical Review that a doctor had prescribed Dong-A ST’s Growthtropin II for her son. Despite the financial burden of about 7 million won per year, or approximately $5,000, Kim administers the injections to her son every night, six days a week.
Her son’s initial height, which was about 4 inches below the average for his age in early 2021, had improved to around 2.3 inches below average by the end of 2023. The cost of the medication is a significant financial burden for parents. It can reach up to 10 million won (about $7,300) annually and extend for six to seven years.
Kim refrained from applying for reimbursement due to concerns that her son’s “patient” label could impact his future job prospects or health insurance coverage.
Digging deeper. In late 2023, a particular data point raised concerns about the underlying dynamics. In South Korea, reimbursement for growth hormone treatment is limited to specific cases, including pediatric growth hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, pediatric chronic renal failure, Prader-Willi syndrome, and short stature due to Noonan syndrome. Parents of children diagnosed with these conditions pay only 5% of the total cost, with the remainder covered by the National Health Insurance Service.
This results in an annual medical expense of approximately 350,000 won ($260) to 500,000 won ($370) per child for growth hormone injections. However, 97% of these growth hormone prescriptions were written without reimbursement. In other words, the majority of growth hormone injections were administered to healthy children, with an annual cost reaching up to 10 million won ($7,300).
More disturbing data. As reported by KBR, figures obtained by Rep. Kim Young-joo of the People’s Power Party of South Korea from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety revealed that local doctors prescribed 10.66 million injections of 24 types of growth hormones at 5,761 medical centers across the country over the past three years.
Of those, only 300,000 injections were for diagnosed patients. The rest were administered to apparently healthy but “short” children—those who were shorter than the “standard” their parents expected.
No scientific evidence. Contrary to the nation’s widespread belief in the effectiveness of growth hormone injections, a study by the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaboration Agency suggests otherwise. Yang Sei-won, an expert in endocrinology and professor emeritus at Seoul National University Hospital, emphasized that growth hormone injections don’t guarantee an increase in height.
Clinical trials have shown an initial increase in growth rate followed by a slowdown, with potential side effects such as muscle pain, edema, hypothyroidism, and pancreatitis, Yang said. Other side effects include gynecomastia—an overdevelopment of breast tissue in children—and severe allergic reactions such as breathing difficulties and hives, he added.
According to The Straits Times, another study conducted in the U.S. examined 11,000 children and found that patients receiving growth hormone therapy without a growth hormone deficiency had an 8.5 times higher risk of developing diabetes later in life. Additionally, this type of medication carries risks such as scoliosis, hip dislocation, transient diabetes, headaches, edema, and vomiting.
Misleading advertising. In June, The Korea Herald reported that South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, in cooperation with 17 local governments, announced a crackdown on false or exaggerated advertisements for growth hormone treatments as the private market for height-enhancing products grew.
The announcement indicated that hospitals, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical companies found to be exaggerating or misrepresenting information would face administrative guidance and action. The belief in the link between height and success has led to confusion, turning treatments meant for children with medical deficiencies into a perceived solution for otherwise healthy, shorter individuals.
“Have the best child.” This issue parallels the trend of parents enrolling their children in private academies to make them more competitive. The use of medication is a more extreme manifestation of this obsession, as South Korean parents strive to secure the best future for their children in a society where, paradoxically, fewer children are being born.
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