Anchor: The latest government survey shows that the pandemic has had a negative impact on school life for students, though a positive effect on their family life satisfaction. This is according to a joint survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Statistics Korea.
Park Jong-hong has the details.

Report: The COVID-19 pandemic has had both negative and positive impacts on young people’s lives. 

A report released Tuesday by Statistics Korea and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed that more than 48 percent of people between the ages of nine and 24 said their school life last year was negatively affected by the virus.

In particular, school life satisfaction among elementary, middle and high school students dropped to 83 percent, down five-point-three percentage points from three years earlier.

Also, an average of 46 percent said they find school work more stressful, and the figure was notably higher among those aged between 13 and 18.

On the flipside, relationships with direct family members saw improvement. Twenty-two percent of the respondents said their relationships with their family had strengthened compared to 2018 and they feel more content.

Experts say the results appear to highlight the impact of last year's stringent social distancing measures and restrictions on social gatherings.

Earlier this week, a separate survey by the Ministry of Science and ICT showed that almost four out of ten teenagers in South Korea are facing the risk of smartphone and internet addictions, mainly due to increased online classes and reliance on personal computers.
Park Jong-hong KBS World Radio News.