By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

In the past, a woman honoring her chastity was considered a virtue in this Confucian society. However, nowadays, more and more are being open to having premarital sex, saying it does not necessarily have to involve affection. Moreover, many of them have fallen pregnant or had an abortion.

According to Ewha Womans University Prof. Shin Kyung-lim's survey on 6,000 university students, in which 63 percent were male and 37 percent female, 50.3 percent of men and 17.6 percent of women said they have had sexual experiences.

Females apparently became more sexually active after having had their first experience. Of those female students with sex experiences, about 30 percent said they have sex every week and 13 percent more than three times a week. Some 1.2 percent said they had sex every day. Of males, 22 percent said they have sex every week and 7.6 percent three times a week.

Many of the respondents said they considered sex as a way to express love. However, four in 10 said they didn't care one way or another.

Also young people were not very reliable when it comes to using contraception. Of those surveyed, half said they used contraception but the male usually initiated the encounter, giving less chance for women to insist on safe sex. Only half of those surveyed said they always use a condom.

Ignorance regarding contraception was found to have led to unwanted pregnancies. It said 4.4 percent of those having had sexual experience said they got pregnant or made their partner pregnant.

This led to other health problems, too. Of those who had abortions, about 20 percent said they suffered from after effects or complications such as stomachache, backache, edema and inflammation among others.

Still, a great number are reluctant to seek counseling for their problems. About 35 percent said they go to their friends or acquaintances; 13 percent try to cope with things on their own; while 10 percent rely on the Internet to gather information.

``We found more people are sexually active nowadays. But information or precautions regarding such behavior is very inadequate, often leading to pregnancy and abortion,'' Shin said. ``The majority of respondents need education on contraception.''

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr