S. Korea Reports Record Spike in School Violence Rate

(MENAFN) South Korea's school violence victimization rate has surged to its highest level since records began, largely driven by a sharp increase among elementary school students, a government report revealed Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Education, 2.5 percent of students reported experiencing school violence in the past year—an increase of 0.4 percentage points compared to 2024.

This figure marks the highest level recorded since the survey’s inception in 2013. The data stems from a nationwide online survey conducted over four weeks through May 13, targeting students from fourth to sixth grade in elementary school, as well as those in middle and high schools.

Following a sharp decline to 0.9 percent in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate has risen steadily: 1.1 percent in 2021, 1.7 percent in 2022, 1.9 percent in 2023, and 2.1 percent in 2024.

Elementary schools saw the most alarming rise, with the victimization rate climbing to 5.0 percent in 2025—a jump of 0.8 percentage points from the previous year.

Middle school students also saw an uptick, with the rate rising by 0.5 percentage points to 2.1 percent. Among high schoolers, the rate edged up by 0.2 percentage points to 0.7 percent.

When broken down by type of violence, verbal abuse remained the most common form at 39.0 percent. It was followed by group bullying (16.4 percent), physical violence (14.6 percent), and cyberbullying (7.8 percent).

Compared to last year, incidents of verbal abuse and physical violence decreased slightly—by 0.4 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively. Meanwhile, group bullying rose by 0.9 percentage points, and cyberbullying increased by 0.4 percentage points.

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