Understanding Your Korean Health Check-up Results
Your check-up result sheet is easy to read once you know "which part of the body each test looks at." Don't be put off by all the abbreviations and numbers. We explain each item in plain words. This page follows the Korean national health check-up (국가건강검진) and the Korean reference values printed on its result sheet. The Korean words in brackets are the labels you will see on your paper.
📏 1. Basic Body Measurements (신체계측)
| Item | What it means | Normal range (Korean standard) |
|---|---|---|
| Body mass index (BMI) (체질량지수) | Whether your weight suits your height | 18.5–22.9 normal / 23–24.9 overweight / 25 or more obese |
| Waist size (허리둘레) | Whether you carry a lot of belly fat (fat around the organs) | Under 90 cm for men, under 85 cm for women |
🩺 2. Blood Pressure — the Push on Your Blood Vessels (혈압)
Just as a water pipe gets damaged when the water flows too hard, high blood pressure wears out your blood vessels. The first number is the pressure when your heart pumps blood out. The second number is the pressure when your heart rests between beats.
| Result | Range (mmHg) |
|---|---|
| Normal | Under 120/80 |
| Caution (prehypertension) | 120–139 / 80–89 |
| Possible high blood pressure | 140/90 or higher |
💉 3. Blood Tests — What Your Blood Says About Your Body
A single blood draw checks for anemia, diabetes, blood fats, liver and kidneys all at once.
Anemia test
| Item | What it means | Normal |
|---|---|---|
| Hemoglobin (Hb) (혈색소) | How much of the oxygen carrier is in your blood | Men 13–16.5 / Women 12–15.5 (g/dL) |
A low number means anemia. You may feel dizzy and tired easily.
Diabetes test
| Item | What it means | Range (mg/dL) |
|---|---|---|
| Fasting blood sugar (공복혈당) | The amount of sugar in your blood when you haven't eaten | Under 100 normal / 100–125 prediabetes / 126 or more possible diabetes |
Blood fat (cholesterol) test
When there is too much fat in your blood, your blood vessels can clog up with greasy buildup.
| Item | What it means | Normal (mg/dL) |
|---|---|---|
| Total cholesterol (총콜레스테롤) | The total amount of fat in your blood | Under 200 |
| LDL ("bad" cholesterol) | The one that builds up greasy deposits in blood vessels | Under 130 (lower is better) |
| HDL ("good" cholesterol) | The one that cleans the deposits away | 60 or more (higher is better) |
| Triglycerides (중성지방) | Fat made from leftover rice, alcohol and sweets | Under 150 |
📝 Easy way to remember: LDL should be Low, HDL should be High.
Liver test
| Item | What it means | Normal (U/L) |
|---|---|---|
| AST, ALT | Substances that leak out when liver cells are damaged | 40 or less each |
| Gamma-GTP (γ-GTP) (감마지티피) | A liver number that reacts to alcohol and fatty food | Men 63 or less / Women 35 or less |
High numbers may point to fatty liver or liver damage from alcohol.
Kidney test
| Item | What it means | Normal |
|---|---|---|
| Creatinine (크레아티닌) | A waste product your kidneys should filter out | 1.5 mg/dL or less |
| eGFR (filtration rate) (사구체여과율) | A score for how well your kidneys' filters work | 60 or more |
🧪 4. Urine Test
| Item | What it means | Normal |
|---|---|---|
| Urine protein (요단백) | Whether protein is leaking into your urine | Negative (−) |
A positive result (+) may mean a problem with your kidneys' filters.
🩻 5. Imaging Tests
- Chest X-ray (흉부 X선): Checks the shape of your lungs and heart (for tuberculosis, pneumonia and more).
- Bone density test (골밀도검사): Shows how strong your bones are. A T-score of −2.5 or lower means osteoporosis, and bones can break easily in a fall.
✅ 6. How to Read the Final Grade
| Grade | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Normal A (정상A) | Very healthy | Keep doing what you're doing |
| Normal B (borderline) (정상B 경계) | Normal, but close to the line | Improve your daily habits |
| Disease suspected (질환의심) | You may have an illness | Be sure to get re-tested at a clinic |
| Existing condition (유질환자) | An illness you are already being treated for | Keep seeing your current doctor |
⭐ 3 Things to Remember
- Look at items in red or marked with a star (*) first.
- If you see "Disease suspected" (질환의심), don't put it off. Get re-tested at a nearby internal medicine clinic. In Korea, the national check-up program often covers the cost of the follow-up test.
- Compare with last year's results. Whether your numbers are slowly getting worse matters more than any single result.
The ranges above are general reference values, not a diagnosis. Results can be judged differently depending on the testing center, your age and the medicines you take, so ask your doctor to explain your results.