South Korea ranked at the bottom among 30 countries in terms of children's satisfaction with their lives, the country's health ministry¹ said, followed by Romania and Poland.

 

"The most relevant factor to the children's life satisfaction is academic stress, followed by school violence, internet addiction², negligence³ and cyber violence," the ministry said of its survey of more than 4,000 households with children younger than 18.

 

World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim, himself born in South Korea, said the educational system put a heavy burden on children, with its focus on competition and long hours of work.

 

South Korea's survey results were measured against those of 27 members of the Organisation⁴ for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) grouping of 34 wealthy countries, plus Romania, Latvia and Lithuania.

 

The survey, the first such exercise by the South Korean government, comes as around 600,000 students gear up for the annual college entrance exam, with places in prestigious⁵ schools and a pathway to a secure job at a top corporation on the line.

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