(123rf) Over half of adults with diabetes in Korea have obesity, a recent study by local scholars showed on Friday, with cases particularly high among patients in their 30s and 40s.Some 81 percent of people with diabetes in their 30s and 76.4 percent of diabetics in their 40s were found to be obese, in the study led by Park Se-eun, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. Overall, 52.4 percent of the patients with diabetes were obese.The study noted that the tendency to have both diabetes and obesity was much higher among this particular age group, compared to 38.3 percent among those aged 65 and above.Diabetics in their 30s and 40s also had a higher tendency to have abdominal obesity, at 78.4 percent and 73.1 percent, respectively, compared to 61.1 percent among all age groups.Researchers said that the findings hint at a significant correlation between diabetes and obesity among Koreans in their prime. Park said treatment for such patients should focus on both conditions, not just on their blood sugar level.She noted that obesity-related diabetes from a young age substantially increases health risks, due to a prolonged period of patients' exposure to potential medical complications.Korea has seen a rapid surge in people with obesity in recent years. November data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency showed 34.4 percent of the population had obesity in 2024 — a significant increase compared to the 26.3 percent recorded 10 years ago.Despite the recent increase, the average ratio of overweight people recorded in Korea still sits below the averages recorded in other OECD nations. Korea defines obesity as having a body mass index of 25 or higher, while the OECD defines a BMI of between 25 and 29 as overweight.According to OECD's Health at a Glance 2025, 54 percent of the population in its member states were overweight or obese -- which is categorized as obese in Korea.