28,400 Gyeongnam Students Report Experiencing School Violence ... About 3 Out of Every 100

Gyeongnam Office of Education Strengthens Response Measures
Including Language Culture Improvement Education

According to a survey conducted by the Gyeongnam Office of Education on students in the province, approximately 3 out of every 100 students experienced school violence.

The provincial office announced the "2026 First School Violence Survey," which was jointly conducted by 16 metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide, on September 9.

The results showed that 2.8% of students, or about 28,400 respondents, reported having experienced school violence in the province.

Table of the first 2026 school violence survey results. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

This figure is 0.3 percentage points higher than last year's 2.5%, but 0.1 percentage points lower than the national average of 2.9%.

The victimization rates by school level were highest in elementary schools at 5.6%, followed by middle schools at 2.3% and high schools at 0.8%.

Compared to last year, the rates increased by 0.6 percentage points in elementary schools, 0.3 percentage points in middle schools, and 0.1 percentage points in high schools.

A table of victimization types from the 2026 First School Violence Survey. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

By type of victimization, verbal abuse accounted for the largest proportion at 38.3%.

This was followed by group ostracism and bullying at 16.8%, physical violence at 15.4%, cyberbullying at 6.9%, extortion at 6.4%, forced errands at 6.1%, sexual violence at 5.1%, and stalking at 4.9%.

The most common locations where students experienced victimization were inside the classroom at 29.1%, followed by hallways at 16.8%, playgrounds at 9.1%, cyberspace at 7.3%, and outdoor play areas at 6.0%.

As for the time when incidents occurred, break time ranked first at 30.8%, followed by lunchtime at 23.3%, after-school hours including weekends and holidays at 13.4%, class hours at 9.7%, and dismissal time at 8.1%.

Most victimized students reported the incident to their teachers (36.3%) or families (36.0%).

13.3% said they informed their friends or older and younger peers. However, less than 2% reported using anonymous school bulletin boards, school police officers, police, reporting centers, or counseling institutions outside of school. The rate of students who said they told no one was 8.6%.

The percentage of students who responded that they had perpetrated school violence was 0.9%, down 0.3 percentage points from 1.2% last year. In contrast, 6.9% of students answered they had witnessed school violence, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous year.

Among those who witnessed incidents, 70% said they actively intervened by helping victims, attempting to stop perpetrators, or notifying nearby adults.

The main reasons given for perpetrating school violence were "as a joke or without any particular reason" and "because the other student bothered me first." Other reasons included "due to misunderstandings or differences of opinion," "because I disliked their behavior," "out of anger or stress," "because other friends or peers were doing it," and "to appear strong."

Gyeongnam Office of Education.
Photo by Seryeong Lee

The Gyeongnam Office of Education will strengthen school violence prevention and rapid response by operating a "School Violence Response Task Force" in collaboration with local government, the provincial police agency, and the Gyeongnam Autonomous Police Committee, as well as holding events such as "School Police Officer (SPO) School Violence Prevention Intensive Education Day."

In particular, to address new types of school violence such as "Yacha Rule," the office will enhance preventive education for students and outreach for parents. To prevent verbal abuse, which had the highest percentage in this survey, a "Language Culture Improvement Education Week" will be held from the fourth week of September to the second week of October.

During this period, the office plans to implement practice-oriented programs linked to classroom-based relationship-building and conflict resolution activities, supporting the creation of a school culture where students use respectful language and resolve conflicts peacefully.

This survey was commissioned to the National Youth Policy Institute and the Korea Education and Research Information Service, and conducted online and via mobile devices from April 14 to May 13.

In Gyeongnam, 229,087 students from 1,005 schools, from fourth grade in elementary school to third grade in high school, participated. The participation rate was 85.0%.

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