ID :
19543
Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:54
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/19543
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Growing numbers of S. Korean teens suffer from VD: report
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- An average of 10,000 cases of venereal disease were detected among South Korean teenagers annually in the last five years, a report showed Monday, as the country strives to tackle a growing number of sex-related crimes among juveniles.
While South Korean schools and parents often refrain from teaching young people openly about sex -- Confucian values stressing sexual modesty are thoroughly entrenched -- young students are becoming increasingly influenced by lewd material on the Internet.
Up to 14,800 sexually transmitted diseases were detected among students aged 10
through 19 in 2002. The figure has mainly stayed consistent each year since, with
12,071 cases in 2007, Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Hyun-hee said, citing health
ministry data.
Gonorrhea was the most common venereal disease among teenagers, accounting for 46
percent of cases, followed by condyloma accuminata, genital herpes and Chlamydia,
according to Jeon.
"Teenagers may not know they are infected with sexual diseases, or try to
conceal the fact out of shame and fear, aggravating the illness," Jeon said.
"There is an urgent need to tackle this issue actively and directly."
Recent cases of same-sex prostitution among teens and gang rape by secondary
school students have shocked the country. Experts say that substantial and
unambiguous sex education is necessary to effectively tackle the issue.
Most juvenile sex offenders said they had regularly accessed sexual content on
the Internet, and eventually became desensitized to pornographic images as their
viewing became more frequent.
According to a recent survey of teenagers here, up to 66 percent of the 1,000
respondents said they first came into contact with pornography on the Internet in
middle school, while 27 percent said they had viewed such content while in
elementary school.
The group exposed to sexual material for the first time in elementary school was
seen to have higher tendency of showing indecent attitudes toward sex, compared
with youths exposed in middle school or high school.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
While South Korean schools and parents often refrain from teaching young people openly about sex -- Confucian values stressing sexual modesty are thoroughly entrenched -- young students are becoming increasingly influenced by lewd material on the Internet.
Up to 14,800 sexually transmitted diseases were detected among students aged 10
through 19 in 2002. The figure has mainly stayed consistent each year since, with
12,071 cases in 2007, Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Hyun-hee said, citing health
ministry data.
Gonorrhea was the most common venereal disease among teenagers, accounting for 46
percent of cases, followed by condyloma accuminata, genital herpes and Chlamydia,
according to Jeon.
"Teenagers may not know they are infected with sexual diseases, or try to
conceal the fact out of shame and fear, aggravating the illness," Jeon said.
"There is an urgent need to tackle this issue actively and directly."
Recent cases of same-sex prostitution among teens and gang rape by secondary
school students have shocked the country. Experts say that substantial and
unambiguous sex education is necessary to effectively tackle the issue.
Most juvenile sex offenders said they had regularly accessed sexual content on
the Internet, and eventually became desensitized to pornographic images as their
viewing became more frequent.
According to a recent survey of teenagers here, up to 66 percent of the 1,000
respondents said they first came into contact with pornography on the Internet in
middle school, while 27 percent said they had viewed such content while in
elementary school.
The group exposed to sexual material for the first time in elementary school was
seen to have higher tendency of showing indecent attitudes toward sex, compared
with youths exposed in middle school or high school.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
