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Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
More than half of South Koreans feel chronic resentment: Survey
Nearly 70 per cent of respondents said they believe the world is unfair. PHOTO: EPA-EFE SEOUL - A recent survey found that more than half of South Koreans are in a state of prolonged resentment, with nearly 70 per cent of respondents answering that they believe the world is unfair. According to a survey conducted by Seoul National University's (SNU) Graduate School of Public Health, 54.9 per cent of respondents were found to be in a state of chronic resentment, with 12.8 per cent of respondents indicating a severe level. Among age groups, the highest proportion of those experiencing severe, prolonged resentment were found to be those in their 30s at 17.4 per cent, while the lowest proportion was found among individuals aged 60 and up at 9.5 per cent. Those who identified themselves as belonging to the lower social class had the highest level of severe resentment at 16.5 per cent. But even among the upper class, 15 per cent reported feeling high resentment. Those in the middle class had a relatively lower rate at 9.2 per cent. Perceptions of fairness were generally negative in the survey, with 69.5 per cent of respondents disagreeing with the statement, 'The world is fundamentally fair'. According to the research team, levels of resentment correlated with a belief that the world was unfair. The lower the level of belief that society was fair, the higher the level of resentment. The research team added that the issues that most provoked feelings of resentment included: government cover-ups and corruption, unethical behavior by politicians and political parties and disasters caused by poor safety oversight. Nearly half of respondents - 47.1 per cent - stated that they had experienced severe stress in the past year that affected their health. People in their 40s at 55.4 per cent and 30s at 51.7 per cent, as well as those earning less than 2 million won (S$1,85 0) per month at 53.8 per cent, were found to be particularly vulnerable. Major sources of stress for such respondents included personal or family health struggles, shifts in social relationships and changes in the political climate. However, despite such widespread stress levels, many said they found it difficult to seek professional help, as some 56 per cent of respondents said they 'would not seek support due to fear of stigma or prejudice'. 'Such findings show that the mental health of Koreans is troubling and that Korean society needs to take mental health more seriously,' said Dr Lee Yoon-kyoung, a researcher from SNU's research team. 'There need to be more practical and realistic improvements in mental health prevention and management programs.' THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Korea Herald
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
'Remove Xi Jinping collection': Man arrested for SNU library disturbance
Man caused disturbance with a baton, demanding removal of room of books, DVDs about China A man in his 40s has been arrested for a violent outburst at a library in Seoul National University, demanding the removal of a collection named after Chinese President Xi Jinping. He is being held on suspicion of possessing a dangerous weapon in public area without justifiable reason, special violence and special intimidation — "special" is used for aggravated offences involving a weapon — according to Seoul Gwanak Police Station. The suspect is accused of a violent act at around 12:15 p.m. last Friday at the Central Library of the SNU, specifically at the Xi Jinping Collection Room on the fourth floor, which consists of China focused books and other materials. He purportedly shouted, "Why is a Xi Jinping archive here?" and argued that the room should immediately be closed. The suspect was found in possession of another weapon by police, who arrested him on site after shooting him with a stun gun. No injuries occurred due to the incident. It was found that the suspect was not a member of the school, and had not been intoxicated at the time of the crime. A warrant for his continued arrest was issued by local court Sunday and authorizes the suspect to be detained for further investigation for up to 10 days by the police, though prosecutors can hold him for longer. The Xi Jinping room of the library in SNU, widely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea, opened in 2015, with 9,297 books and 755 DVDs about China and ethnic Chinese living here that Xi pledged to donate in his 2014 visit here, under administration of ex-President Park Geun-hye. Anti-China sentiment Officials are investigating exactly why the suspect committed the crime, but researches indicate that anti-China sentiment here in recent years remains fairly high, although possibly not as high as few years ago. Hankook Research has conducted annual surveys on South Korean sentiment toward China since 2023. In 2024, it showed that 30 percent of respondents regarded China as an enemy while only 8 percent regarded it as a friend. This was lower than 44 percent thinking of the country as an enemy in the 2023 survey. The vast majority of those who responded thought that the country was neither friend or foe to South Korea. In the 2025 survey, 46 percent of the respondent said that Seoul-Beijing relations were neither good or bad, as opposed to 45 percent who thought it was bad. It indicated that anti-China sentiment was not as bad as in 2023, when 73 percent of the respondents thought the relations between two countries was bad and 20 percent said it was neither good or bad. A small percentage of respondents thought South Korea had good relations with China, at 2 percent in both 2023 and 2024, rising to 6 percent in 2025. While not as high as before, the 2025 survey indicated that the majority of people here regarded China as a threat to the reunification of the Koreas, national security and the economy, 63 percent, 60 percent, and 51 percent, respectively. In a possibly related incident, a 42-year-old Korean dressed up as Marvel Comics character Captain America attempted to gain unauthorized access to the Chinese Embassy in Seoul in February. He later said his actions were intended to demonstrate the anti-China sentiment in the country. The man, who turned out to be supporter of now-ousted ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, blocked the elevator with other supporters, urging embassy employees and reporters to curse at Xi and liberal politician Lee Jae-myung.
Korea Herald
07-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
More than half of South Koreans experience chronic resentment: survey
A recent survey found that more than half of South Koreans are in a state of prolonged resentment, with nearly 70 percent of respondents answering that they believed the world was unfair. According to a survey conducted by Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Health, 54.9 percent of the respondents were found to be in a state of chronic resentment, with the 12.8 percent of respondents indicating a level that was severe. Among age groups, the highest proportion of those experiencing severe, prolonged resentment were found among those in their 30s at 17.4 percent, while the lowest proportion was found among individuals aged 60 and up at 9.5 percent. Those who identified themselves as belonging to the lower social class had the highest level of severe resentment at 16.5 percent, but even among the upper class, 15 percent reported feeling high resentment. Those in the middle class had a relatively lower rate at 9.2 percent. Perceptions of fairness were generally negative in the survey, with 69.5 percent of respondents disagreeing with the statement: The world is fundamentally fair. According to the research team, levels of resentment were correlated with a belief that the world was unfair. The lower the level of belief that society was fair, the higher the level of resentment. Groups that were more likely to see the world as unfair showed higher levels of resentment than those that were less likely to do so. The research team added that the issues that most provoked feelings of resentment included: government coverups and corruption, unethical behavior by political parties and disasters caused by poor safety oversight. Nearly half of the respondents — 47.1 percent — stated that they experienced severe stress in the past year that affected their health. People in their 40s at 55.4 percent and 30s at 51.7 percent, as well as those earning less than 2 million won ($1,429) per month at 53.8 percent, were found to be particularly vulnerable. Major sources of stress for such respondents included personal or family health struggles, shifts in social relationships and changes in the political climate. However, despite such widespread stress levels, many said that they found it difficult to seek professional help, as some 56 percent of respondents said that they 'would not seek support due to fear of stigma or prejudice.' 'Such findings show that the mental health of Koreans is troubling and that Korean society needs to take mental health more seriously,' said Lee Yoon-kyoung, a researcher from SNU's research team. 'There needs to be more practical and realistic improvements in mental health prevention and management programs.'
The Hindu
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Future of CA profession is bright, given the growing demand for the professionals, say experts
The future for chartered accountants (CA) appears bright, given the growing demand for these professionals amid the changing business landscape in the country, according to experts. Ramanathan Krishnan, senior programme convener, Department of Commerce at Shiv Nadar University (SNU), Chennai, said, 'India is a $4 trillion economy expected to grow to $30 trillion by 2047; this will trigger a requirement of at least 30 lakh CAs. At present, India has only 4,09,000 practising CAs as against a need for 10 lakh.' Speaking at The Hindu Education Plus webinar titled 'Why Choose Commerce? A roadmap for CA aspirants', he noted, 'The CA syllabus is vast, and the competitive examination has a low pass rate of 10% to 15%. Academic institutions are recognising this problem and attempting to address the issue by providing enhanced learning experiences in undergraduate Commerce courses.' Mr. Krishnan also provided an overview of the various commerce programmes available and offered insight into selecting the appropriate one based on an individual's aptitude for professional accounting. The webinar was presented by SNU Chennai as part of The Hindu's Career Counselling series. Chella Krishna G., a partner at the Chennai-based firm SRSV and Associates, said students should understand that commerce is not merely a subject but a way to understand the world, and that CA is not just a qualification but a gateway to business leadership. He elaborated that the role of chartered accountants has evolved beyond filing tax returns and managing balance sheets; they are now instrumental in advising on business growth and shaping financial strategies. 'Aspirants should be prepared to adapt to the enhanced business landscape and equip themselves adequately. The leap is from being number crunchers to independent growth consultants, risk managers, financial advisers and CFOs,' Mr. Krishna added. The experts emphasised that key requirements for becoming successful CA professionals include an aptitude for continuous learning, possessing a logical mind, the capacity for multi-layered thinking, and the development of technical and soft skills, particularly proficiency in communication. They also underlined that students should not be deterred by a fear of mathematics, as commerce programmes often offer bridge courses to refresh and enhance students' quantitative skills. The webinar is available to view at:
Korea Herald
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
SNU professors suggest multiple test-taking for college entrance
Proposal for comprehensive education reform includes combining middle and high schools Seoul National University professors' association on Monday suggested reforms to South Korea's education system that would allow students to take the college entrance exam multiple times a year, rather than just once as is currently permitted. The Suneung, or College Scholastic Ability Test, occurs on the third Thursday of November every year, the results of which largely dictate the college admissions process. The reform plan announced by the SNU Faculty Council seeks, among other things, to ease pressure on test takers by administering the Suenung 3-4 times a year. Other plans for reform presented by the SNU Faculty Council to the Ministry of Education include combining middle and high schools to provide students with a continuous course of education, which the professors said will help them identify their strengths and the best course for them to take for their futures. Professor Han Jae-yong of SNU's Department of Agricultural Biotechnology was quoted by the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper as saying, 'In a system where students are consumed by survival-driven competition, we need an admissions process that reduces the burden on test takers and allows them to demonstrate their true abilities.' Holding multiple Suneung exams has long been considered as away of reforming the education system. The National Education Commission under the presidential office last year was reported in September to be toying with the idea. The committee said it had not formally reviewed the change, and said it was merely a suggestion made by a few of its members. But the idea has been floated around the political circles for several years, with the conservative People Power Party's education policy debate in 2023 discussing it. Hong Joon-pyo, the conservative politician who stepped down as Daegu mayor to run in the upcoming June 3 presidential election, made holding two Suneung exams a year one of his presidential pledges on April 6. College admission exams in some countries, like the SAT in US, does not limit the number of times one can take the crucial test. Most colleges consider only the highest score one has gotten in the tests, and many education experts encourage taking multiple tests. SNU suggest more autonomy for colleges As part of the comprehensive reform plan, the SNU Faculty Council also suggested that each school should have more autonomy on their programs and be able to take more students without their majors being assigned at the time of admission. The SNU had previously attempted to pick 400 new students with undeclared majors for the 2025 school year, but the plan was postponed. The Korean government provides a wide-range of subsidies for colleges, which in turn limits the autonomy of individual schools to certain degrees. SNU, widely considered the most prestigious tertiary education institute in the country, has been among many schools that has called for more freedom in terms of their programs. Lim Jeong-mook, the chairperson of the SNU Faculty Council, told local media outlets that it was difficult for higher education institutes in the country to gain a competitive edge under current system, which requires government approval for each university's reform plans. Lim said he would make the suggestion to the political circles as well, so more politicians would make it part of their pledges in the upcoming presidential election.
