2.5% of Gyeongnam Students Experienced School Violence ... Majority Cite "Joke or No Particular Reason"

According to the "2025 First School Violence Survey," jointly conducted by the 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide, 2.5% of students in the Gyeongnam region reported experiencing school violence.

The Gyeongnam Office of Education announced the survey results on the 16th, stating that this figure represents a 0.5 percentage point increase from last year's 2.0%.

'2025 First School Violence Survey' Response Rate and Trend of School Violence Victims in Gyeongnam Region. Provided by Gyeongnam Office of Education

By school level, the rates were 5.0% for elementary schools, 2.0% for middle schools, and 0.7% for high schools. Each increased by 1.0 percentage point, 0.5 percentage point, and 0.2 percentage point, respectively, compared to last year.

The proportion of students who admitted to perpetrating school violence was 1.2%, with 2.6% in elementary schools, 0.9% in middle schools, and 0.2% in high schools.

The most common reason given for perpetrating school violence was "as a joke or for no particular reason," cited by 31.8% of respondents. Additionally, 28.3% said, "because the victim bullied me first."

This was followed by "due to misunderstandings or differing opinions" (12.2%), "because I disliked the victim's behavior" (10.4%), and "to vent anger or relieve stress" (6.8%).

Some students also responded, "because other friends or seniors/juniors did it," "to appear strong," "because a senior or friend told me to," and "to get attention from my guardian or teacher."

The majority of perpetrators were classmates from the same class (49.9%), followed by students in the same grade (28.8%) and students in different grades at the same school (8.4%), indicating that most school violence occurred within the same school.

The proportion of students who witnessed school violence was 6.3%, an increase of 1.4 percentage points from the previous year. Among them, 69.4% said they would help the victim or report the incident.

'Types of School Violence Victimization in Gyeongnam Region from the 2025 First School Violence Survey.' Provided by Gyeongnam Office of Education

In terms of victimization types, verbal abuse accounted for the largest share at 39.7%.

This was followed by bullying (15.3%), physical violence (14.1%), cyberbullying (7.9%), forced errands or sexual violence (6.4%), stalking (5.2%), and extortion (5.0%).

The locations where school violence most frequently occurred were classrooms (29.0%), hallways (16.9%), playgrounds (9.7%), and cyberspace (6.4%). Additionally, 6.0% of students reported experiencing violence in parks, playgrounds, alleys, or hillsides.

Incidents most often took place during break time (30.9%), lunchtime (22.7%), after school (13.0%), class time (9.9%), and dismissal time (8.3%).

Victims most commonly reported the incident to school teachers (37.5%), followed by family members (35.5%), and friends or seniors/juniors (13.0%).

This survey was commissioned to the National Youth Policy Institute and Korea Research, and was conducted online and via mobile from April 14 to May 13.

In Gyeongnam, a total of 238,051 students from 1,006 schools, ranging from fourth grade in elementary school to third grade in high school, participated in the survey.

The Gyeongnam Office of Education is operating a "School Violence Task Force Council" every quarter in collaboration with the Gyeongnam Provincial Government, Gyeongnam Police Agency, and Gyeongnam Autonomous Police Committee to reduce and prevent the increasing number of school violence cases each year.

In addition, 18 education support offices are conducting prevention activities in cooperation with related organizations tailored to the characteristics of each region.

At schools, all classes are required to implement the "School Violence Prevention Harmony Program" for at least 11 sessions, and "School Violence Prevention Education Weeks" are designated and held in March and September, when the semester begins.

Furthermore, public awareness campaigns are being conducted through radio, webtoons, videos, and card news targeting residents of the province. In cooperation with the police, "School Violence Prevention Intensive Education Days" are also being held.

To address the rise in verbal abuse and cyberbullying, the provincial office of education also plans to operate a "Language Culture Improvement Education Week" from the fourth week of September to the second week of October.