OhKpop stars celebrity news and gossip

• Suicides Rising Sharply Among Women, Elderly, Educated
• Obesity Rises at Schools Nationwide
• Parents Spend Less on Crammers
• Young Women Overtake Men in Job Market
• ‘Ghost’ Lee Yeon Hee’s Dark Past

Suicide was the single most common cause of death among teenagers for the second year running in 2011, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday. It said two out of 10 middle and high school students drink alcohol, one out of 10 smoke and an equal proportion are addicted to the Internet.

Some 70 percent complain about stress both at school and at home, and 10 percent have considered suicide.

The figures are based on a sample study of the 10.2 million Koreans between nine and 24. It also shows that youngsters are getting unhealthier. Some 14.3 percent were obese last year, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous year, and the proportion of morbidly obese students rose 0.2 percentage points to 1.3 percent. The main reason was lack of exercise. Seventy percent of youngsters did not exercise regularly, while 40 percent skipped breakfast.

The mental health of teens is deteriorating as well. The number of students complaining of stress rose 13.1 percent from 2008 to 70 percent. In 2000, the No. 1 cause of death among teens was car accidents (19.3 percent), while suicide accounted for only 8.7 percent, but now suicide accounts for 13 percent, surpassing car accidents (8.3 percent) and cancer (3.6 percent).

When it comes to choosing a future job, youngsters place the top priority on stability. Some 28.3 percent of respondents aged 13 to 24 hoped to find government jobs, followed by major business conglomerates with 22.9 percent and public organizations with 13.1 percent.