Seoul Citizens Walk Less Than Those in Berlin, Tokyo

People living in Seoul walk less than their counterparts in Berlin or Japan, if an experiment by the Chosun Ilbo among 10 people in each of the three cities gives any indication.

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People in Seoul walked 39 minutes on an average weekday, but in Berlin they walk for 52 minutes and in Tokyo 50.

The subjects were carefully chosen for similar routines, like salaried workers and students, and they were monitored from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day in early October. They used the same smartphone application to record their walking distance, which did not include traipsing down corridors at work or university.

Walking distance varied even more significantly. People in Seoul walked 3,059 m on average, while people in Berlin and Japan walked 4,912 m and 4,538 m.

Seoul citizens also walked less at weekends with 2,358 m in 32 minutes, while people in Berlin walked 3,856 m in 41 minutes.

Koreans tend to walk less and less. According to a survey of 220,000 adults by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year, the proportion of those who walked for over 30 minutes at a time at least five days a week decreased from 50.6 percent in 2008 to 38.2 percent last year.