"Reported, But Nothing Changed"... School Violence Victimization Among Elementary Students More Than Doubles

Sharp Increase in School Violence Victimization Over Two Years
4.9% in 2023 to 12.5% Last Year
"Reported, But No Change" for 33%

The rate of elementary school students reporting experiences of school violence has more than doubled in two years. As the line between playfulness and violence becomes increasingly blurred among younger students, the number of students who felt that reporting incidents led to no meaningful change has also risen.

Before the press conference for the 2026 School Violence Survey held by the Green Tree Foundation on the 18th, a performance was held. Photo by Yonhap News

On May 19, the Pureunnamu Foundation, a professional institution specializing in the prevention of school violence, held a press conference at its headquarters in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, to announce the results of the "National School Violence Survey." The survey was conducted from November 3 to December 31 last year, targeting 8,476 elementary, middle, and high school students nationwide.

According to the survey, the rate of elementary school students responding that they had experienced school violence increased from 4.9% in 2023 to 12.5% last year, more than doubling in two years. During the same period, the rates for middle and high school students were 3.4% and 1.6%, respectively, highlighting that elementary students reported victimization at a much higher rate.

The foundation explained these results by stating, "There is a possibility that younger students are unable to distinguish between violence and play, and are expressing conflicts in physical ways."

Verbal Abuse Most Prevalent... Proportion of Physical Violence Also Rises

Among all elementary, middle, and high school respondents who reported experiencing school violence, verbal abuse was the most common at 23.8%. This was followed by physical violence at 17.9% and cyberbullying at 14.5%. Notably, the proportion of physical violence increased significantly from 10.6% in 2023, reaching its highest level since 2019.

Among types of cyberbullying, incidents involving online games accounted for the largest share at 39.9%. Of those, 95.7% said they experienced victimization both online and offline. The foundation analyzed, "Online games have become a complex pathway for victimization, combining online and real-life relationships."

"Reported, But Nothing Changed"... Increase in Passive Bystander Responses

The number of students who witnessed school violence but did not intervene also increased. The percentage of respondents who said they "remained passive after witnessing school violence" was 54.6%, a sharp rise from 21.5% in 2021.

There was also a significant number of students who said that reporting incidents did not lead to proper resolution. The proportion of students who reported experiencing school violence but said "nothing happened" was 33%, about three times higher than the 10.9% recorded in 2021.

The solution most desired by victimized students was "an apology from the perpetrator," with 70.8% responding this way. Among students who felt their situation was not resolved, the most common reason cited was "not receiving an apology from the perpetrator" (50.8%). For perpetrators, the most frequently chosen reason for stopping their actions was "realizing their wrongdoing and reflecting on it."

With the June 3 local elections approaching, the Pureunnamu Foundation called on candidates for local government heads and superintendents of education to include stronger administrative responses to school violence, expansion of mental health recovery infrastructure for victims, and education to prevent the spread of community conflict in their campaign pledges.

Lee Jongik, Executive Director of the Pureunnamu Foundation, emphasized, "Schools are places where children live every day, and the community is the foundation of their lives," adding, "School violence policy is an important standard for gauging student safety and trust in schools."

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