Park Mijeong, Gwangju City Council Member, Urges Active Response to Student Suicide and School Violence

Sexual Violence Accounts for Over Half of Elementary School Violence Cases
"Suicide and Violence Are One Issue... An Integrated Response System Is Needed"

Park Mijeong, Gwangju City Council Member.

Park Mijeong, a member of the Gwangju City Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Dong-gu District 2), pointed out the issues of student suicide and school violence during the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education's policy inquiry at the plenary session on October 14, stating, "We must shift from repetitive projects to performance-oriented administration."

Park highlighted, "In the past five years (2021-2025), there have been 33 suicides among elementary, middle, and high school students in the region," and noted, "Even as the number of students continues to decline, the number of suicides has not decreased compared to two years ago when I previously raised this issue during a policy inquiry."

She went on to say, "There are only records of counseling and treatment referrals, but there are no outcome indicators such as recovery rates or reattempt rates," urging the Office of Education to establish an 'Integrated Management System for Student Life and Emotional Safety.'

She also expressed concern, saying, "In the first school violence survey this year, the victim response rate was 2.6% (5.3% for elementary school students), an increase from last year's 2.0%. Verbal abuse and bullying are repeatedly occurring in classrooms."

She particularly emphasized, "While the number of school violence deliberation cases increases every year, the proportion of serious measures such as suspension or higher has actually decreased. It is urgent to strengthen practical correction for perpetrators and post-management support for victims."

Additionally, she stated, "Of the 708 school violence cases reported last year (according to the Gwangju Police Agency), sexual violence crimes accounted for 24.4% (173 cases), with 41 cases involving elementary school perpetrators, which is 52.6% (78 cases) of all elementary school violence crimes. Systematic enhancement of gender sensitivity and relationship education from the lower grades of elementary school is necessary."

Meanwhile, Park stressed, "Student suicide and school violence are not separate issues. We must integrate the current fragmented response systems and manage life and emotional safety under a unified policy framework. I urge the Office of Education to take responsible follow-up measures."

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