Unravelling school violence: The case of South Korea

Dr. Seung-Hyun Lee
Korean Institute of Criminology (KIC)
Dr. Seong-Hoon PARK
Korean Institute of Criminology (KIC)

Many people in South Korea considered school violence as a very serious issue. The administration began to show an interest in school violence in 1995 when a middle school student took his own life because of school bullying. The government enacted the Youth Protection Act in 1997, and made the School Violence Protection and Measures Law in 2004. Although the government initially focused on enacting laws, it made an effort to diffuse educational programs and compose a safe school environment in recent years.
This study aims to search for visionary ways to cope with school violence in South Korea. To achieve the purpose of the study, firstly we will review the trends of school violence from 1990s to 2000s. Secondly, governmental policies against school violence during the years will be reviewed. Thirdly, a recent survey data from school teachers, parents, and students for assessing effectiveness of the important policies against school violence will be analyzed. We will introduce the case of South Korea and put heads together to solve the school violence.