Slight increase in first-incident rates across elementary, middle, and high schools
Verbal violence rises while bullying and physical violence decrease
Relationship restoration prioritized for minor issues in 1st and 2nd grade, /Photo Courtesy of the Ministry of Education, “The percentage of students responding ‘I have been bullied’ has entered the 3% range for the first time since the survey began in 2018. Increased sensitivity to school violence has led to a rise in response rates across all elementary, middle, and high school classes. The Ministry of Education plans to strengthen support measures for victims while seeking educational solutions this year.”
On the 17th, the Ministry of Education announced the main results of the second school violence survey conducted in 2025 with provincial education offices. It was reported that the percentage of students responding ‘I have been bullied’ reached 3%, an increase of 0.5%P compared to the first survey. This is the highest rate since the biannual survey began in 2018. This survey targeted 170,000 students from 4th grade elementary to 2nd grade high school.
In terms of breakdowns, elementary school rates increased from 5% to 5.1%, middle school from 2.1% to 2.4%, and high school from 0.7% to 1%. By type, verbal violence was the most common at 40.3%, followed by group bullying at 15.3%, physical violence at 13.9%, and cyber violence at 6.8%. Verbal violence is on the rise, while other types are decreasing.
The perpetrator response rate remained at 1.1%, the same as the first survey. For elementary schools, it decreased from 2.4% to 1.9%, while middle school stayed the same at 0.9%, and high school increased from 0.1% to 0.2%.
The response rate for witnessing school violence also increased across elementary, middle, and high schools, rising from 6.1% in the first survey to 7.7% in the second, an increase of 1.6%P.
However, according to the Ministry of Education, it’s difficult to consider this as a mere intensification of school violence since the proportion of cases judged as “not school violence” has also risen. The proportion of “not school violence” cases increased from 14% in the 2022 academic year to 16% in the 2023 academic year, and 18.8% in the 2024 academic year.
The Ministry plans to strengthen support for victimized students and expand programs focusing on relationship restoration this year. For minor incidents among 1st and 2nd graders, they will implement a “relationship restoration contemplation system” before deliberation, starting this month. To this end, they will distribute relationship restoration programs and conduct training for those in charge. The relationship improvement support group at the School Violence Zero Center will expand from 2,793 people last year to 2,900 people this year.
To support victimized students, the Ministry will push to expand Wee classes and professional counselors. Students requiring separation and healing will be supported through a national boarding healing center, and comprehensive educational and healing support will be provided so students can receive professional help near their home through expanding metropolitan specialized educational institutions.
To expedite the deletion of harmful school violence videos, including cyberbullying, related laws will be revised.
The Ministry launched the 7th School Violence Countermeasure Committee the previous day and reviewed such contents as part of the “2026 School Violence Prevention and Countermeasures Implementation Plan.”
The School Violence Countermeasure Committee is a committee under the Prime Minister, composed of up to 20 members, including the Prime Minister (Chairperson), a co-chairperson appointed by the President, ministers-level government members, and appointed members. The 7th co-chairperson is Hong Yu-ki, the director of Hope for Future Education Foundation. The appointed members include eight individuals such as lawyers, parents, and teachers, with a term of two years ending on January 27, 2028.
Minister of Education Choi Gyo-jin stated, “The true conclusion of school violence lies not in handling simple cases, but in restoring the trust of the damaged community,” adding that “We will transition the school violence response system to focus on restoring the trust of the educational community.”