High School Student Who Left Note Saying "I'm Not Okay, Help Me" and Committed Suicide... 청원 to Blue House Surpasses 240,000

A first-year student at a boarding high school in Gangwon Province left a note saying "Help me" before making an extreme choice last month [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A national petition related to an incident last month at a dormitory-type high school in Gangwon Province, where a first-year student left a note saying "Help me" before taking extreme measures, has gained over 240,000 signatures.

The parents of the deceased student A posted a message titled "Please clear the injustice of our son who had no choice but to choose death at the tender age of seventeen" on the Blue House national petition board on the 5th.

A’s parents stated, "On the 27th of last month, at a dormitory-type high school in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, my beloved second son jumped to his death," adding, "The school claimed immediately after the death that it was unrelated to school violence, but according to friends’ testimonies, it was clearly a case involving cyberbullying, group ostracism, and the teacher’s indifference acting in combination."

They continued, "Due to a minor misunderstanding, friends spread targeting posts on the internet, spread rumors at school, and he was subjected to 'euntta' (subtle ostracism), even attempting self-harm, but neither friends nor teachers informed us, the parents," they appealed.

They pointed out, "What is especially heartbreaking is the self-harm attempt two weeks before the incident," adding, "A senior who knew about this informed a teacher that there were students, including our child, attempting self-harm, yet neither the homeroom teacher nor we, the parents, were informed."

They lamented, "If only the self-harm had been reported to the homeroom teacher or parents, or if the homeroom teacher had made just one phone call to the parents after counseling the day before, our child would have been with us, not in heaven."

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board Capture

A’s parents appealed, "The fundamental cause of this incident is the school culture that neglects severe conflicts arising from human relationships and the school’s omission in actively addressing it," urging, "Please conduct a thorough investigation and fact-finding to clear our son’s injustice."

As of 3:30 p.m. on the 19th, this petition had received over 240,000 signatures.

Earlier, the bereaved family also revealed the note left by A through social media. The note contained phrases such as "Why do you also think I’m okay?", "When I’m with you, I feel cautious because I think you’ll be harmed because of me," and "I’m not okay. Please help me."

Meanwhile, on the 30th of last month, A’s parents reported the incident to the school as a case of school violence, and the school began an investigation, including conducting surveys among students.

The police, considering the seriousness of the case, transferred the investigation to the Women and Youth Investigation Unit of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency and are currently conducting an inquiry.

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