Fire and fury: North Korean threats and South Korean adolescent health

We determine the impact of the increased risk of war resulting from the inter-Korean tensions of 2016, which culminated in two nuclear tests by North Korea, on the health of South Korean adolescents. Our health indicators are mental symptoms of depression and aggression, but also physical symptoms such as headaches and fever. We use representative data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) for the Seoul Capital Area in 2014, 2015 and 2016 (N = 1745). In our regression analysis, we apply a difference-in-differences approach and use adolescents living near the border with North Korea in 2016 as the treatment group. We find that adolescents residing in the border regions with North Korea during the crisis year 2016 had 3.67 percent more depressive and 5.52 percent more aggressive symptoms, but also more physical problems such as headaches (6.82 percent) and fever (5.44 percent), findings that are more pronounced for females. We call on policymakers to keep the health of adolescents, especially young women, in mind during times of crisis. Schools in geopolitically tense areas can help build resilience. •In 2016, tensions on the Korean peninsula culminated in North Korean nuclear tests.•The events of 2016 changed everyday life in the border regions with North Korea.•Health indicators among local adolescents deteriorated statistically significantly.•Therefore, war risks – and not just outbreaks of war – impact adolescent health.•Thus, policymakers should seek to build resilience in geopolitically tense areas.