韩国儿童在幸福调查中垫底

South Korean children are the least happy in study among developed countries, the government said on Tuesday, citing the stress of the country's educational pressure cooker.

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

"The most relevant factor to the children's life satisfaction is academic stress, followed by school violence, internet addiction, negligence 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 Organisation 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 prestigious schools and a pathway to a secure job at a top corporation on the line.

When the test is held on Nov 13, the country's stock market will open an hour later, office openings will be delayed to ensure students don't get stuck in traffic, and the central bank will delay its interest rate-setting meeting by one hour.

Domestic air traffic will be curtailed during the listening comprehension portion of the exam.

More than half of children aged between 15 and 19 who are suicidal give "academic performance and college entrance" as a reason, according to National Statistics Korea.

South Korean parents are well-known for marching their children off to cram schools until late in the evening, and beginning English tutoring in kindergarten.

South Korea also made a poor showing in the survey's child deprivation index, which includes child poverty as well as time for hobbies and school or club activities. It came in last, after Hungary and Portugal.

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, who was born in Seoul and moved to the United States at age five, said that South Korea's education system exacted a heavy cost.

"Students endure a substantial psychological burden from competition and long hours of work," he said during a visit to Seoul on Tuesday.

一项针对发达国家儿童的调查显示，韩国儿童是其中最不幸福的。周二，韩国政府表示，导致这种现象的原因是其国内教育制度对儿童的重压。

韩国卫生部表示，在针对儿童对其生活满意程度的调查中，韩国在30个发达国家中排名垫底，位于其后的是罗马尼亚和波兰。

卫生部表示：“对儿童生活满意程度影响最大的是学业压力，其次是校园暴力，网瘾，家庭疏忽以及网络暴力。”这项调查由4000个有18岁以下儿童的家庭共同参与。

出生在韩国的世界银行行长金墉（Jim Yong Kim）表示，现行的教育体系注重竞争和长时间的学习，因此给儿童造成了巨大的负担。

韩国的调查结果是通过衡量34个富裕国家组成的经济合作与发展组织（OECD）中的27个成员国，以及罗马尼亚，拉脱维亚和立陶宛得出的。

这项首次由韩国政府所进行的调查显示，每年有60万学生为高考努力拼搏，为的就是拔得头筹，能够进入名校和得到名企的安稳工作。

当11月13日进行高考时，韩国的股市会延迟一小时开放，办公时间也会后延以确保学生不会遇到交通堵塞。此外，韩国央行也会延迟一个小时召开利率决策会议。

在考试进行到听力理解部分时，政府甚至会限制国内的航空交通。

据韩国国家统计局显示，在15至19岁自杀的儿童中，超过半数是因“学业表现和高考”不佳。

韩国的父母们因将孩子送到补习班学习至深夜，并从幼儿园就开始英语辅导而闻名于世。

在一项儿童被剥夺指数的调查中，韩国儿童调查结果也不容乐观。这项调查包括儿童贫困状况以及儿童们花在兴趣活动、学校和社团活动上的时间。总体而言，韩国位列倒数第一，排在匈牙利和葡萄牙之后。

出生于韩国首尔，五岁时移居美国的世界银行行长金墉（Jim Yong Kim）称，韩国的教育体系代价惨重。

“学生长期忍受来自来自竞争和长时间学习的巨大心理负担。”他在周二于首尔访问时如是说道。