Mental health concerns widespread in S. Korea, especially among young adults

A new survey from KB Financial Group reveals that mental health concerns, including severe stress and sleep problems, are widespread in Korea, with a significant portion of the population reporting these issues across all age groups. /Chosun DB

A recent survey found that 6 out of 10 Koreans have experienced mental health issues, such as severe stress, over the past year.

When broken down by age, those in their 20s reported the highest rate at 71.6%, followed closely by those in their 30s at 69.8%. The numbers for individuals in their 40s (62.2%), 50s (61.7%), and 60s (52%) all exceeded 50%, indicating that mental health concerns span across all age groups.

This data comes from the ‘2024 Korea Wellness Report’, released on Sept 29 by the KB Financial Group. The report was based on a survey conducted between Apr. 1 and Apr. 15, targeting 2,000 men and women aged 25 to 69 who are actively participating in economic activities.

The most commonly reported mental health issue was severe stress, which affected 34.1% of respondents. Additionally, 25.6% experienced prolonged insomnia, 22.6% reported feelings of depression, and 18.7% mentioned anxiety symptoms. Around 13.4% also experienced moderate mood changes that impacted their daily lives.

Despite 40.9% of respondents expressing concern about their mental health, only 34.2% said they actively sought help from professional services or institutions when facing such issues. The most common reason for not seeking assistance was the belief that the problem would resolve on its own, with 44.6% of respondents indicating this, especially among those in their 50s and 60s, where the rate was 48.8%.

Sleep quality also emerged as a significant issue, with 59.2% of respondents reporting sleep problems in the past year. Among them, 41% of men cited insufficient sleep, while 28% of women reported experiencing sleep disorders.

Even with these concerns, only 21% of those experiencing sleep problems used digital aids, such as apps or wearable devices, to improve their sleep environment.

The current use of such digital aids remained low at 6.2%. Instead, the most common effort to improve sleep was purchasing better bedding or sleepwear (49.7%), followed by engaging in light exercise or warm baths to regulate body temperature (28.4%) and drinking warm milk or tea (26.1%).