The teenager's secret diary is kept on a tablet. "I wonder why my mum gave birth to me. She shouldn't have had me if she was going to curse at me. She said I'm a failure for not winning a prize... Why did I have to be born into such a terrible family? All they ever talk about is getting perfect scores."

This is a scene from the South Korean TV series Sky Castle. It is a satire with a very serious subject: a culture obsessed with success, in which young people are driven incredibly hard.

There was a tragic reminder of this last month when Moonbin, a 25-year-old member of the boy band Astro, was found dead in his flat in SeoulThe capital of South Korea, with a population of nearly 10 million. . The police believe that he took his own life.

Several other young K-pop stars have lost their lives in recent years, apparently by suicide. In 2018 Jonghyun, the lead singer of SHINee, and Minwoo of 100% both died. In 2019 Sulli killed herself after suffering prolonged online bullying. A month later her friend Goo Hara also died.

K-pop stars lead highly pressurised lives. But this is just the tip of the iceberg in a country which has the highest suicide rate among developed nations. In 2021 suicide accounted for 44% of teenage deaths.

Between 2017 and 2021, cases of depression rose by 90% among teenagers.¹ Sadly, many of those who suffer in this way are afraid to seek help: 25% of teenagers fear that it will damage their chances of getting into college.

"Many of my closest friends have struggled with suicidal thoughts and depression," Raphael Rashid reports from Seoul in The Guardian. "They often cite societal pressures to succeed, feelings of isolation, worthlessness and discrimination for not conforming... In the hope of securing bright futures for their children, many parents throw them into an intensive education system."

At the root of this obsession is fierce competition for jobs. Getting a good university degree is considered essential for a well-paid career.

A survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentKnown as the OECD, an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries that aims to help economic progress and world trade. found that, out of 70 developed countries, South Korea had the unhappiest schoolchildren. Around 85% of five-year-olds and 35% of two-year-olds have private lessons at "cram schools" after they finish nursery school for the day. 

Yes: We live in a world in which a successful career is prized above everything else and parents have unreasonable expectations of their children. It is not surprising that so many people feel unhappy.

No: Very few societies are as demanding as South Korea's. Many people find jobs that are highly rewarding, even if they are not very well paid. Most of us have easier lives than our ancestors did.

Or... Young people, more than ever before, are standing up and talking about the importance of mental health. Modern life is also about causing change for the better.