Even When Choked Until Collapse, They Just Stand Watching... The Increasing Severity of 'School Violence'

Controversy Over Video of Group Bullying Among Ilsan Middle School Students
Last Month, Gwangju High School Student Suffered School Violence and Took Extreme Measures
Experts Say "Education Should Make Defenders, Not Bystanders"

A video showing several students assaulting a male student in front of a building parking lot in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Social Networking Service (SNS)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] A video showing a male student being bullied by a group in front of a building in Ilsan, Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, has spread online, causing shock. The video captured several students, who appeared to be peers, choking the victim and touching his genitals in a cruel manner.

Recently, in Gwangju, a high school student suffering from school violence (hakpok) tragically took his own life. Concerns are growing over the increasingly brutal issue of youth violence. Experts emphasize the need for effective violence prevention education so that adolescents can become defenders rather than bystanders of school violence.

On the 13th, a video was posted in an open chat room on social networking service (SNS) showing three male middle school students and two female students bullying a male peer.

The video showed the victim being choked by a larger male student. The victim was on tiptoe, precariously hanging onto the male student’s arm. Then, a female student, who appeared to be smoking, approached the victim and sexually harassed him by touching his genitals.

Other students watched with their arms crossed and did nothing to intervene, and no one stepped in to stop the bullying. After the hands choking the victim were released, the victim collapsed weakly to the ground, and the video ended. It is presumed that someone across the street filmed the incident.

According to the Ilsan Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi, a police officer from the local precinct responded at around 4:50 p.m. after receiving a report from the video’s filmer and met with the students to ascertain the situation. However, during the investigation, the victim stated that it was "just playing around with friends," and the victim’s parents did not express a desire for punishment, so the case was not transferred to the investigative department.

A video showing A, who died on the 29th of last month in a mountain in Gwangju, suffering from school violence during his lifetime. / Photo by MBN

Among citizens who saw the video, there were repeated claims that school violence was suspected. Netizens commented, "The situation in the video can never be seen as a joke," "Choking and touching genitals is not a joke," and "It’s problematic not to investigate just because the victim said it was a joke."

Regarding this, a representative from the Women and Youth Division of the Ilsan Dongbu Police Station told Asia Economy on the 14th, "It is true that the victim said it was 'just playing around,' but the victim’s parents said they would report after confirming," and added, "We plan to conduct additional investigations through further fact-finding."

Concerns are growing as the severity of school violence continues to rise. Recently, in Gwangju, a high school student named A was driven to take extreme measures after suffering from school violence. A video saved on A’s phone showed him being bullied by classmates.

The video, released by MBN on the 5th, showed peers choking A until he lost consciousness. When A finally passed out, the perpetrator smiled brightly, and other students watching also laughed along. A ultimately took his own life on May 29 in a mountain area in Gwangju.

Experts suggest that students need to recognize the seriousness of violence and that related violence prevention education should be strengthened so that they can act as defenders rather than bystanders.

Kim Seokmin, a researcher at the Pureunnamu Foundation (Youth Violence Prevention Foundation), said, "Even when school violence occurs, students sometimes say it was a joke. It is difficult for students to distinguish whether it is actual violence or not, and there are cases where saying it was a joke leads to lighter punishment, which is abused. Therefore, a system to verify these aspects is necessary."

He added, "In the case of the controversial violence video from the Ilsan area, it is hard to see it as a joke, especially since it appears to be continuous bullying rather than a one-time act. Since there is objective evidence such as the video of the victim, related investigations should proceed from the victim’s perspective." He emphasized, "Practical education is needed so that students can understand specific cases of school violence and recognize that they too could be victims and know how to respond."

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