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A street on a cram school district in Mokdong, Yangcheon District, western Seoul, is seen on June 2. [NEWS1]<\/p>\n
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A 17-year-old high school student in Seoul has been spending most of her time alone since a serious falling-out with a close friend last year. \u00a0
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She now eats lunch by herself and struggles with the pressure of preparing for college admissions in her final year of high school. Despite her anxiety, she has never had deep conversations with her parents.
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\u201cI feel like I\u2019m festering inside with no one to talk to or confide in,\u201d she said. \u201cI need an adult I can consult with.\u201d
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As mental health indicators among school-aged children and teenagers worsen, students say they have few places to turn for help, citing the lack of access to professional counselors.
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A 15-year-old middle school student in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, said she experiences intense stress whenever her parents pressure her over academic performance. But she has struggled to find support.
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\u201cThere\u2019s only one teacher at the school\u2019s Wee Class [in-school counseling center], and it\u2019s hard to build rapport knowing that teacher is already listening to so many others,\u201d she said. \u201cEven when dark thoughts cross my mind during exam season, I hesitate to go.\u201d
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Students at a high school in Busan take the June mock exams for the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test on June 4. [YONHAP] <\/p>\n
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According to analysis released Thursday by education reform group Good Teachers, 240,800 children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 were diagnosed and treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depression last year. That\u2019s 3.7 percent of all children and teens \u2014 or roughly one in every 27 \u2014 and nearly triple the 80,800 recorded in 2017.
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The group pointed out that while Korea\u2019s Wee project exists as a counseling support network in schools, fewer than half of schools have professional counselors. Moreover, over 27 percent of students flagged through emotional and behavioral screenings were not referred to follow-up care.
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\u201cTo address student mental health issues, the government needs to build a comprehensive response system and introduce early intervention,\u201d the group said.
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Under Article 19-2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, schools are required to assign professional counselors or rotating counselors. But as of 2024, more than half of schools have no such staff.
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High school students take a nationwide academic test at a school in Daegu on June 4. [YONHAP]<\/p>\n
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Data obtained by liberal Democratic Party Rep. Kim Moon-soo from the Ministry of Education showed that out of 12,119 elementary, middle, high and special schools nationwide, only 5,043 schools \u2014 or 41.6 percent \u2014 had professional counselors. Including rotating counselors, the placement rate was just 48.4 percent.
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The number of students struggling to adapt to school or classified as suicide risks continues to rise. According to data collected by conservative People Power Party Rep. Cho Jung-hun from the Education Ministry and local education offices, 214 elementary, middle and high school students died by suicide in 2023 \u2014 the highest number ever recorded.
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Save the Children, an international nongovernmental organization for children\u2019s rights, proposed establishing legal requirements for placing professional counselors in schools as part of its recommendations for President Lee Jae Myung\u2019s eight key policy agendas, unveiled on July 8.
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\u201cIf schools can\u2019t hire more counselors to help students in psychological distress, they need to be able to link them to local community counseling centers,\u201d said Park Nam-gi, a professor of education at Gwangju National University of Education. \u201cThey should also work on prevention, such as through education on responsible social media use.\u201d
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If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.\u00a0 <\/p>\n