(image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of school violence victims in South Korea increased for the third straight year, mostly due to a rise in bullying at elementary schools, a report showed Tuesday.
The annual report by the education ministry showed that 1.6 percent of the respondents were victims of school violence, compared with 1.3 percent and 0.9 percent in the past two years, respectively.
More than 3.7 million students, roughly 91 percent of all students enrolled at South Korean elementary, middle and high schools, took part in the survey conducted in April.
Elementary school students reported the highest bullying rate, with 3.6 percent of respondents saying they experienced school violence. This marks a 0.8 percentage-point jump compared with last year.
The rate was lower at middle and high schools, with 0.8 percent of middle school students and 0.4 percent of high school students saying they were bullied at school. In 2018, the figures stood at 0.7 percent and 0.4 percent.
School violence victims reported verbal violence as the most common form of bullying. This was followed by group bullying, cyber bullying, stalking and physical violence.
Seoul has been pushing to raise awareness of school bullying and reinforce the punishment of bullies. The education ministry plans to announce a five-year policy plan to counter school violence at the end of the year.
(Yonhap)
