Nearly 1 in 5 children in S. Korea 'unhappy': survey

SEOUL. KAZINFORM Nearly 1 in 5 children in South Korea said they are unhappy, citing pressure to do well at school as the biggest reason, a survey showed Thursday, as the country marked Children's Day.

According to the poll conducted by the health ministry and the National Center for the Rights of the Child, 81.4 percent of those surveyed said they are either «somewhat happy» or «very happy,» while 18.6 percent said they are «not very happy» or «not at all happy.»

Of the children who said they are unhappy, 33.9 percent chose pressure to do well at school as the top reason, followed by uncertainty about the future at 27.5 percent, Yonhap reports.

Other reasons included economic difficulties, a troubled family, difficult relationships with friends and unhappiness about their physical appearance.

The latest edition of the annual survey was conducted online from July 16 to Oct. 29 last year on 1,270 children and teenagers in the fourth to 12th grades.