Three out of 10 Korean youth believe that they should take a major role in supporting their parents, a report showed.

According to the 2013 Youth Statistics report which was released this month and conducted by Statistics Korea, 35.6 percent of the respondents said children should take responsibility in looking after their parents. The result is a drastic fall compared to 67.1 percent in the same survey conducted in 2002. 

The report was based on 31 surveys given to people aged 15 to 24.

“I’m the only child in my family, so it seems very challenging for me to fully support my parents,” said Lee, a 15-year old student attending Sungshin Girls Middle School. Lee declined to reveal her full name. “We are not like our parents who had many siblings to share the burden with.” 

In the same report, 50 percent of the youth respondents were found to claim an individual’s duty to support his or her parent should be shared with local society and the government, a jump from 20.5 percent in 2002. 

“Many factors affected teenagers’ perception of supporting parents, which include the nation’s economic condition, deepening individualism, low birthrate and the aging society,” said Kim Hyun-chul, a researcher at the National Youth Policy Institute.

By Park Sui, Intern reporter
(suipark@heraldcorp.com)