The top dream jobs among young students in South Korea are to be an entertainer, star athlete or other professional in sports and art, a survey showed Thursday.

It marked a stark contrast to former generations who mostly wished to become the president (1970s, '80s) or a doctor (1990s).

According to a survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on 456 fourth and sixth graders in elementary schools, 40.5 percent of respondents said they wanted to become athletes, artists or entertainers.      

Doctors and lawyers were less popular among the respondents with only 7.8 percent wanting to become medical experts or social workers. Just 6.3 percent hoped to seek a legal career.

The students’ second favorite occupation was teachers and other education-related jobs with 12.2 percent. Following was chefs with 10.4 percent, reflecting the growing popularity of cooking shows and chefs.

A Korea Youth Work Agency report showed that president, scientist and soldier were the top three jobs picked by elementary school students in the 1970s and 80s. In the 1990s, they chose doctor, lawyer and teacher.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)