“I check my daily step count and walk 15,000 steps every day.”

On the 5th, Lee Hyo-jin (52), a resident of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, said this while attending the “Walking Turns into a Sports Day” event at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, held to commemorate the Wrist Doctor 9988 app surpassing 3 million subscribers. Ham Hyun-gyu (62), who lives in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, also said, “Wrist Doctor 9988 has been a great help in my daily health management.”

Around 4,300 citizens gathered at the site that day. Of these, about 2,500 turned on Wrist Doctor 9988, the health management application (app) operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and completed a 4 km walking course. The Korea Life Insurance Association donated KRW 7,000 per finisher, totaling KRW 17.5 million, to the Community Chest of Korea (Love Fruit).

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 8th, the number of Wrist Doctor 9988 subscribers has exceeded 3 million. Wrist Doctor 9988, which carries the meaning “live vigorously until 99 (9988),” was launched as a pilot project after Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon won the by-election in 2021. The number of subscribers surpassed 1 million in June 2024 and 2 million in March last year. As of the 1st of this month, about 3.038 million people had subscribed, meaning that roughly one out of every three Seoul citizens uses it. Users who walk more than 8,000 steps a day receive 100 points, which can be converted into Seoul Pay Money and spent like cash at affiliated merchants. The fact that office workers who find it difficult to set aside separate time for exercise can easily check their daily step count during commutes and other daily activities via the smartphone app is cited as a factor boosting participation.

According to data compiled by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the cumulative number of steps taken by Wrist Doctor 9988 users reached 10.5828 trillion as of last month. Converted using an average adult stride length of 70 cm, this amounts to about 7.4 billion km, or a distance equivalent to circling the Earth approximately 185,000 times.

Changes are also emerging in Seoul citizens’ health indicators. In last year’s Community Health Survey by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the walking practice rate among Seoul citizens was 69.0%, far exceeding the national average of 49.2% and ranking first nationwide. The adult obesity rate also declined from 31.0% in 2024 to 30.2% last year, a drop of 0.8 percentage points, the largest decrease among the 17 metropolitan cities and provinces.

Wrist Doctor 9988 is expanding its scope into a comprehensive health management platform. From the 9th, a “Healthy Weight Management Mode” will be added to the app. This function will allow users to set a target weight, check changes in body mass index (BMI) and weight, and use recommended meal plans. The Seoul Metropolitan Government also plans to provide sports facility vouchers worth KRW 50,000 per person to 3,000 citizens whose BMI is confirmed to be 30 or higher through tests at physical fitness certification centers (Seoul Physical Fitness Centers).

Mayor Oh said, “Reaching 3 million Wrist Doctor 9988 subscribers is a meaningful achievement that shows healthy lifestyle habits are taking root in citizens’ daily lives,” adding, “The city will continue to support citizens’ voluntary health practices through ongoing upgrades to Wrist Doctor 9988.”

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