Health ministry convenes children's congress on academic pressure

The health ministry said the 23rd Korea Children's Congress, to be held Aug. 4-6, would bring about 110 representatives aged 10 to 17 to discuss academic burden and children's rights and propose improvements to the government.

Delegates selected the theme, academic burden and children's rights, through regional congresses after raising concerns about health in a competitive, study-centered environment. South Korean young people sleep an average of 7 hours 18 minutes, below the OECD average of 8 hours 22 minutes. The number of people aged up to 19 receiving treatment for depression rose to 81,000 in 2023 from 53,000 in 2019, the ministry said.

"Growing up healthy and being free to dream even amid academic burden is a child's natural right," Kim Yoo-im of the National Center for the Rights of the Child said. "I hope the child representatives' intensive discussions and frank proposals will help change society into an environment that reduces academic burdens and protects children's health."

About 170 people, including representatives chosen through regional congresses held from May to July and leaders from the previous year's congress, will attend the opening ceremony. The first day will also review progress on resolutions adopted last year on children's rights in the digital environment, with child representatives presenting the results of their year-long monitoring work.

The congress will move to the International Youth Center in Seoul's Gangseo district on its second day for group discussions on this year's resolution and events on the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Children's Rights Charter. On the final day, delegates will adopt a resolution and send it to the government, the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, local governments and education offices. Relevant ministries will review the proposals, and the results will be reported to the Children Policy Coordination Committee chaired by the prime minister.

The ministry said it will pursue early identification of children's emotional and behavioral crises and link them to treatment, promote school physical education and sports clubs, and improve awareness of children's need for rest and play. "Our children's academic stress is high, while time for exercise or play and subjective happiness are low, which is regrettable," Hyeon Su-yeop, the health ministry's first vice minister, said.