Teacher was the most-desired future career among young South Korean students over the past five years.

The survey was conducted by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training on 27,265 elementary and secondary school students, 17,821 parents and 2,800 teachers nationwide between June and July this year.

The results showed that professional athlete topped the list of the most popular professions for elementary students, chosen by 9.8 percent of respondents, followed by teacher with 8.7 percent.

Other future careers desired by the children included doctor, cook, YouTuber, police officer, legal professional, singer, professional gamer and baker.

YouTuber refers to a type of Internet celebrity who gains popularity from their videos on the video-sharing website.

Scientist used to rank within the top-10 choices but fell to 12th place this year.

In a slightly different result, teacher was the most popular future profession for students at middle and high schools, the survey showed.

Police officer, doctor and professional athlete were also favored by middle school students, while high school students exhibited a strong preference for nurse, police officer, beauty designer and career soldier. (Yonhap)