No Tolerance for School Violence Perpetrators in Sports Teams... Athlete Status Revoked Upon Expulsion

Mandatory Submission of School Violence History Pledge in Pro Sports
School Violence Confirmation Required for Player Registration and Tournament Participation

On the 24th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye is delivering opening remarks at the Social Relations Ministers' Meeting held via video conference between the Government Complex Sejong and the Seoul Government Complex.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] High school athletes who are expelled due to school violence will no longer be allowed to participate as players. If transferred, they will be banned from competitions for one year.

On the 24th, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism deliberated and approved the "Measures to Eradicate Violence in School Sports Teams and Improve the Sports Human Rights Protection System" at the 4th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting.

From March 1 onward, those who are sanctioned as perpetrators under the School Violence Prevention Act will be prohibited from participating in sport-specific and comprehensive competitions for a certain period. If expelled, they will lose their athlete status. Transfers result in a 12-month competition ban, while class changes, suspension of attendance, special education, or community service result in a 6-month ban. Written apologies, no-contact orders, or in-school service result in a 3-month restriction. A system will also be established requiring submission of a principal’s confirmation letter regarding student records or school violence history when registering as an athlete or applying for competition participation.

In particular, professional sports teams will require new recruits to submit a pledge confirming no history of school violence. If falsified, sanctions will be imposed based on the pledge. Universities that reflect school violence history in admissions decisions for sports-specialized admissions will receive additional points when providing subsidies. A disciplinary information system will be established for each sports organization, integrating disciplinary actions under the School Violence Prevention Act. This will also serve as a reference when professional sports clubs, corporate teams, national teams, or universities select athletes by checking their school violence history and restricting selection accordingly.

When school violence is revealed, disciplinary regulations of professional sports organizations, the Korea Sports Council member sports organizations, and others will be comprehensively revised to allow sanctions based on concrete evidence. The Ministry of Education will conduct an annual "Comprehensive Survey on Violence Victimization among Student Athletes," taking action against perpetrators through school violence review bodies. The Sports Ethics Center will also deploy human rights monitors to schools for unannounced inspections to directly verify the actual situation of violence in schools.

The performance evaluation system for sports-specialized students will also be improved. For team sports, evaluation indicators allowing individual assessment will be developed (currently under development for basketball, baseball, volleyball, and soccer), and for middle and high school sports-specialized students, the weight of evaluation factors other than game performance will be increased. When hiring sports instructors, a reasonable evaluation system will be established to broadly reflect factors beyond performance, such as disciplinary records related to human rights violations and efforts to protect learning rights.

School sports team dormitories will be improved to protect human rights. Middle school dormitories will be gradually reduced, and on-site inspections will be conducted at least once a year in middle and high school dormitories to improve human rights violation factors. Student athletes and sports team coaches must take at least one hour of mandatory human rights education per semester. Professional teams will conduct annual school violence prevention education for their affiliated youth teams. Through the revised National Sports Promotion Act and enforcement regulations effective from June 9, sports instructors will be required to receive human rights education every two years, with sanctions for non-compliance also established.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "We expect this measure, including restrictions on competition participation for perpetrators of school violence, to send a strong message of zero tolerance for violence," and added, "Please cooperate so that our society can mature through reconciliation and healing based on genuine reflection and apology."

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee stated, "Even if incidents occurred in the past, if violence was committed, principles and standards will be established to hold perpetrators appropriately accountable. We will implement these measures while communicating with victims, the sports field, and specialized institutions to ensure victims receive true healing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.