Koreans think they're not healthy despite long life expectancy Despite South Korea having a higher life expectancy than other OECD countries, data show most Koreans don't think they're healthy. Research by Korea's health ministry finds life expectancy among Koreans to be 82.4 years, which is higher than the OECD average of 80.8. But only about one-third of Korean respondents 응답자 aged 15 or older..