A nationwide campaign to curb salt intake kicked off Wednesday to improve public health and cut down on medical expenses.

At the Seoul Plaza in central Seoul, about 200 representatives of consumer groups, food makers and the medical, media and academic circles gathered for a ceremony to establish the headquarters of a movement to reduce sodium consumption to 3 grams a day from the current 4.8 grams.

“The government has been recommending that restaurateurs and food makers should reduce salt in their food and products. We think it is the civic society’s role to start the movement and monitor it,” said Kim Jae-ok, head of the organization.

The campaign was launched amid public anxiety over the increasing sodium intake and the related health hazards.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a Korean consumes 4,878 milligrams of sodium a day on average, about 2.4 times the World Health Organization’s guideline of 2,000 mg. Japan marks 4,280 mg while the U.K. and the U.S. marked 3,440 mg and 3,436 mg, respectively.

Though sodium plays an important role in the human body, such as regulating blood pressure and blood volume as well as consisting in muscles and nerves, its health threat from excessive intake has alerted people. It is believed to affect the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, cardio or cerebral vascular diseases and their complications.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration said the spiraling amount of sodium intake has attributed to the 32 percent prevalence rate of hypertension and 10.9 percent of diabetes among people over 30 years old here. The medical expenses related to hypertension, stroke, cardio and cerebral diseases accounts for 15.1 percent of the total expenditure, the authorities said. In 2010, the National Health Insurance Corp. spent 4.9 trillion won ($4.3 billion) on treating the diseases, up from 2.5 trillion won in 2005.

“Koreans consume a staggering amount of sodium through soup, broths, noodles and kimchi. Canteen meals at offices and schools contain a lot because salt makes food seem more distinctive and attractive,” said Kim Cho-il, director of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. “So, the industry participation is the most important. We will also seek to find scientific evidence to back up our campaign. Prevention is easier and cheaper than treatment.”

The headquarters are planning to join hands with nutritionists and cooks to develop tasty yet low-sodium school meals. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology plans to hold educational sessions for students and their parents. Large retailers will be advised to install low-sodium parlors where food with less salt will be specially displayed. About 1,000 restaurants nationwide have vowed to serve low-sodium dishes by 2013.

Should the country manage to bring sodium consumption below 3,000 milligrams a day, Korea will be able to save 3 trillion won in medical expenses and experience a net 13 trillion won socioeconomic effect, the KFDA said.

“Many countries including Finland, U.K., Japan and Canada conduct low-sodium campaigns. They have also seen some progress in improving public health. I think we can follow suit,” Kim Won-jong, a health official, said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)