Hamburgers and french fries have become a popular meal option here in Korea for children
and busy adults alike.
As you might expect, this kind of diet is having an effect on the nation's waistline
and health.
Paul Yi reports.
Fast food restaurants have soared in number in recent years... and become a popular meal
destination for those on the go.
Local fast food chain Lotteria had some 11-hundred stores nationwide as of 2013, a 24-percent
jump compared to three years earlier.
Overseas chains like McDonalds and Burger King have also grown in number,... as more
and more people are reaching for burgers to fill their appetites, despite knowing it's
not very healthy.
"I don't think about the calories, because I'm very active."
"I worry about the calories because I'm a woman, but usually I'm cool about it when
it comes to eating hamburgers."
However, experts are advising consumers to think twice before ordering.
The Korea Consumer Agency recently analyzed the contents of trademark fast food burger
sets.
Let's take a look at the calories.
Burger King's Whopper meal topped the list at over 11-hundred calories.
This is almost half of the daily requirement of 26-hundred calories,... recommended for
men between the ages of 19 and 29.
McDonald's Big Mac meal followed with just over 1-thousand calories,... and the burger
sets of Lotteria and KFC came in at around 9-hundred.
Sodium levels also approached daily requirements.
A man in his 20s is recommended no more than 15-hundred milligrams of sodium a day.
KFC's meal had the most sodium content at over 14-hundred milligrams,... followed by
McDonalds at 12-hundred,... and Lotteria and Burger King at around a thousand.
"Consumers should check the nutritional values carefully before eating hamburgers if they
want to maintain a healthy appetite, as even one set contains a high amount of calories
and sodium."
Experts advise that children in particular should refrain from eating hamburgers too
often,... as the calories and sodium content exceed their recommended daily intake.
Paul Yi, Arirang News.