Nearly 8 in 10 school violence cases face only mild penalties: report
New forms of school violence, including one that forces those bullied into physical fights, are on the rise but many of those responsible for such violence go nearly unpunished, a lawmaker said Monday, citing relevant data from the education ministry. According to the data submitted to Rep. Han Byung-do of the ruling Democratic Party, 490 cases of such violence have been subject to a review by…
Nearly eight out of ten instances of school violence receive only minor penalties, according to a lawmaker citing recent data from the education ministry. In 2024 and the first half of this year, 490 such cases were reviewed by school disciplinary committees. Of the 1,961 disciplinary actions taken, 77.7% were deemed light punishments that leave no official record of the incident or its consequences.
These measures typically involve written apologies and directives to maintain a distance from the victim. Only about 10% of the cases resulted in more severe penalties such as suspensions or transfers to another school. The issue has been exacerbated by a phenomenon known as the "yacha rule," where bullied students are coerced into engaging in unwanted physical confrontations under the pretense of mutual agreement. There is a pressing need for more stringent guidelines to address this growing problem.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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