Why are East Asian countries so obsessed with numbers? GDP

It is common sense among economists that GDP is a hollow figure that cannot fully measure a nation's quality of life or wealth.
Even in foreign communities, the mainstream opinion is that GDP should only be viewed as a reference point that cannot represent actual life and wealth.
However, East Asian countries in particular—such as Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan—seem pathologically obsessed with GDP as if it were a symbol of wealth.
Even looking at the bullpen, I was surprised to see so many fools arguing about who is living better or who is richer based on a difference of a few hundred or thousand in GDP.
It makes me wonder if schools these days aren't teaching basic economic knowledge.