Heartbreaking numbers in South Korea

Many students are victims of school bullying but do not receive support. Photo: MK .

Recently, the Blue Tree Foundation, a non-profit organization specializing in combating school violence, released a survey on the state of school violence in South Korea. The survey results have raised concerns about the extent of harm inflicted on young students in the country.

According to the Korea Times, a survey conducted with 8,476 elementary, middle, and high school students in South Korea from November to December 2025 showed that the percentage of elementary school students who had experienced school violence had sharply increased from 4.9% in 2023 to 12.5% last year, more than doubling in just two years. Meanwhile, this rate was 3.4% and 1.6% for middle and high school students, respectively.

Verbal abuse was the most common form of violence, accounting for 23.8% of cases. This was followed by physical violence at 17.9% and cyberbullying at 14.5%.

Notably, the rate of physical violence has risen to its highest level since 2019, 7.3% higher than in 2023.

According to the Blue Tree Foundation, one reason is that elementary school-aged children cannot yet clearly distinguish between playful behavior and violence. Many children are unaware of the boundary between excessive playfulness and genuinely harmful actions.

Not only is the number of victims increasing, but the indifference of witnesses is also becoming an alarming problem. Surveys show that as many as 54.6% of students reported witnessing school violence but did not take any action to intervene. This figure is double the 21.5% recorded in 2021.

The survey also highlighted the feeling of helplessness among many victims. The percentage of students who reported having reported the incident but not received a suitable solution increased from 10.9% in 2021 to 33% in 2025.

When asked about their greatest wish following these incidents, 70.8% of students responded that what they needed most was an apology from the perpetrator of the violence.

In response to this situation, the Blue Tree Foundation has called on candidates participating in the local elections on June 3rd, including those running for the position of director of education , to commit to implementing stronger measures to address school violence.

The proposals include expanding mental health support for victims and strengthening educational programs to prevent conflict from spreading within the community.

Several candidates quickly made specific commitments. Among them, Jung Keun-sik, the candidate for Director of the Seoul Education Office, stated that he would shift the focus of addressing school violence from punishment to rehabilitation through education, prioritizing the healing of relationships among students.

Meanwhile, Kim Seok-joon, the nominee for Director of the Busan Education Office, emphasized the development of policies focused on relationships and mental health among teenagers.

"School violence cannot be solved by punishment alone," Kim said, while pledging to expand socio-emotional education programs to help students improve their emotional control and build relationship skills.