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Article History

Received: 18 September 2024

Accepted: 23 August 2025

First Online: 25 September 2025

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: The research protocol was formally reviewed and approved on February 18, 2023, by the Academic Research Committee of the College of Education at Chung-Ang University. The review involved a comprehensive evaluation of the study’s objectives, methodology, ethical safeguards, and data collection procedures. Based on this assessment, the committee determined that the study met the exemption criteria for IRB review under South Korean regulations. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and all applicable national legislation. According to the Bioethics and Safety Act (Act No. 20327, partially amended on February 20, 2024) and its Enforcement Rule of Bioethics and Safety Act (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family No. 1048, partially amended on August 16, 2024) in South Korea, research may be exempt from formal IRB review if it involves anonymous participants, does not collect personally identifiable information (PII) or sensitive data, and poses minimal risk to participants.Specifically, Article 15(2) of the Act and Article 13(1)(2) of the Enforcement Rule state that IRB review is not required for studies that:This study employed an anonymous online survey, included non-vulnerable adult participants, and collected no identifiable or sensitive data. It therefore met the exemption criteria under both national law and institutional policy. In accordance with these regulations, the Academic Research Committee concluded that this study was exempt from IRB review. No exemption number was assigned, and the institution does not issue exemption letters for studies that meet these criteria.On June 16, 2023, the Academic Research Committee reconfirmed the study’s exempt status as part of a routine administrative procedure. This confirmation did not involve any modifications to the original protocol and did not constitute a new ethics review.

: All participants were adults aged 19 or older and were recruited through an anonymous online survey. Prior to participation, they were presented with an online consent form outlining the purpose of the study, the voluntary nature of participation, data anonymity, and their right to withdraw at any time without penalty. Participants indicated their informed consent by proceeding with the survey after reading this information. The survey was conducted from April 17 to April 21, 2023. In accordance with the Bioethics and Safety Act and its Enforcement Rule of Bioethics and Safety Act, written consent was not required for anonymous, minimal-risk survey studies that do not collect personally identifiable or sensitive information.