School Violence Hearings Face Severe Delays in Seoul’s Affluent Districts

The Glory, a Netflix original series that portrays school violence (Image courtesy of Netflix)

SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – In Seoul’s wealthy neighborhoods known for their intense focus on private education, investigations into school violence are facing significant delays, according to government data released on October 24. 

A report submitted to the National Assembly’s Education Committee reveals that school districts serving affluent areas of Seoul are failing to meet mandated timelines for reviewing school violence cases.

The Gangdong-Songpa district showed a 98% delay rate in the first semester of this year, while the Gangnam-Seocho district recorded 94% of cases exceeding the standard review period, both notably higher than Seoul’s average delay rate of 83%. 

The situation is particularly acute in the Gangseo-Yangcheon district, which includes the education-focused Mokdong area, where not a single case was processed within the required four-week window – resulting in a 100% delay rate. The Dongjak-Gwanak and Seo districts also reported high delay rates of 96% and 94% respectively.

Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Eul-ho, who requested the data from the Ministry of Education, noted a correlation between areas with high parental income and intensive private education, and longer delays in violence case reviews. “These delays are exacerbating the trauma for victims of school violence,” Jeong said. 

According to the Ministry of Education’s 2024 guidelines, school violence committees are required to convene within three weeks of receiving a case, with a possible one-week extension under special circumstances.

The problem is particularly pronounced in the Seoul metropolitan area, which accounts for 60.2% of all delayed cases nationwide. In the first semester, Seoul reported 1,023 delayed cases (83% delay rate), while Gyeonggi Province had 1,044 (29%) and Incheon 509 (59%). 

While some education officials attribute the delays to staffing shortages, the data suggests otherwise. Seoul’s case handlers process an average of just 2.8 cases within the four-week window, compared to 22.5 cases in Daegu. 

Education insiders suggest a different explanation for the delays in affluent districts: parents, particularly in areas like Seocho with high concentrations of legal professionals, are increasingly bringing lawyers to committee hearings.

Their primary motivation is to prevent school violence incidents from appearing on their children’s academic records, which could affect college admissions.

M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)