Common reasons cited include lack of preparation, partner influence A pack of oral contraceptive pills (123rf) Nearly one-third of sexually active female adolescents in South Korea did not use contraceptives consistently over the past year, with many saying birth control was unavailable or that their partners influenced the decision, a study showed Friday.In a 2025 survey, 67.3 percent of adolescent respondents said they had always used contraception during sex in the previous 12 months, according to a report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.The rate improved from 54.6 percent in 2022, but 32.7 percent still said they had only used birth control sometimes or not at all.The most common reason cited was a lack of preparation. Among adolescents who did not always use contraception, 76.5 percent said either they or their partner had failed to prepare condoms or other contraceptives.More than half said they thought pregnancy was unlikely, while 47.1 percent believed their partner was taking sufficient precautions. Some 35.3 percent said their partner did not want to use contraception.The findings also suggest that adolescents do not always have full control over contraceptive decisions.Half said they decided together with their partner, while 30.8 percent said they mainly made the decision themselves. Another 19.2 percent said the decision was primarily made by their partner.Adolescents were less likely than adult women to say they took the lead in deciding whether to use contraception. They were also more likely to report wanting to use a condom but being unable to do so, at 34.6 percent.Among the contraceptive methods used by adolescents themselves, menstrual cycle tracking was the most common, followed by oral contraceptive pills and emergency contraception. For their partners, condoms were the most frequently cited method, followed by the withdrawal method.The report was based on surveys conducted in 2022 and 2025 examining the sexual and reproductive health of Korean women across different stages of life.Researchers cautioned that relatively few adolescent and older respondents had had sex during the previous year, which should be considered when interpreting the findings.They said contraception should be viewed not only as a way to prevent pregnancy, but as part of broader sexual health management, including protection against sexually transmitted infections.The researchers called for stronger education and better access to information throughout the life cycle so that people can make informed and independent decisions about contraception.