More than half of South Koreans feel chronic resentment: survey

A recent survey found that more than half of South Koreans are in a state of prolonged resentment, with nearly 70 percent of respondents answering that they believe the world is unfair.

According to a survey conducted by Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Health, 54.9 percent of respondents were found to be in a state of chronic resentment, with 12.8 percent of respondents indicating a severe level.

Among age groups, the highest proportion of those experiencing severe, prolonged resentment were found to be those in their 30s at 17.4 percent, while the lowest proportion was found among individuals aged 60 and up at 9.5 percent.

Those who identified themselves as belonging to the lower social class had the highest level of severe resentment at 16.5 percent, but even among the upper class, 15 percent reported feeling high resentment. Those in the middle class had a relatively lower rate at 9.2 percent.

Perceptions of fairness were generally negative in the survey, with 69.5 percent of respondents disagreeing with the statement, "The world is fundamentally fair."

According to the research team, levels of resentment correlated with a belief that the world was unfair. The lower the level of belief that society was fair, the higher the level of resentment.

Groups who were more likely to see the world as unfair showed higher levels of resentment than those who were less likely to do so.

The research team added that the issues that most provoked feelings of resentment included: government cover-ups and corruption, unethical behavior by politicians and political parties and disasters caused by poor safety oversight.

Nearly half of respondents — 47.1 percent — stated that they had experienced severe stress in the past year that affected their health. People in their 40s at 55.4 percent and 30s at 51.7 percent, as well as those earning less than 2 million won ($1,430) per month at 53.8 percent, were found to be particularly vulnerable.

Major sources of stress for such respondents included personal or family health struggles, shifts in social relationships and changes in the political climate.

However, despite such widespread stress levels, many said they found it difficult to seek professional help, as some 56 percent of respondents said they “would not seek support due to fear of stigma or prejudice.”

“Such findings show that the mental health of Koreans is troubling and that Korean society needs to take mental health more seriously,” said Lee Yoon-kyoung, a researcher from SNU’s research team.

“There need to be more practical and realistic improvements in mental health prevention and management programs.”