According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), the share of students reporting that they had experienced school violence rose to 2.9 percent in the first nationwide survey of 2026, up 0.4 percentage point from 2.5 percent a year earlier.
“As young people spend more time using digital devices in their daily lives, they have fewer opportunities for face-to-face interaction and may also be losing their ability to empathize with others,” said Sung Yoon-sook, a senior research fellow at the National Youth Policy Institute (NYPI), which conducted and analyzed the survey.
She said conflicts between students may therefore be more likely to develop into school violence, while greater awareness of such behavior among students and parents may also have contributed to the higher reporting rate.
According to the ministry, the online survey was conducted from April 14 to May 13 and covered 3.9 million students from the fourth grade of elementary school through the third year of high school. About 3.19 million students, or 81.9 percent, took part.
The survey asked students whether they had witnessed, experienced or committed school violence from the second semester of 2025 through the time they completed the questionnaire.
The share of students reporting school violence rose across all school levels. Among elementary school students, it climbed 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier to 5.7 percent. The figure rose 0.2 percentage point to 2.3 percent among middle school students and 0.1 percentage point to 0.8 percent among high school students.
Verbal abuse remained the most common type of school violence, accounting for 37.8 percent of reported cases. Group bullying followed at 17.1 percent, physical violence at 15.7 percent and cyberbullying at 7.0 percent.
Compared with the 2025 survey, the share involving physical violence rose 1.1 percentage points and group bullying increased 0.7 percentage point. By contrast, verbal abuse fell 1.2 percentage points and cyberbullying declined 0.8 percentage point.
Verbal abuse was the largest category across every school level. As students moved into higher grades, group bullying, cyberbullying and sexual violence accounted for larger shares, while physical violence and coercion became less common.
The survey showed that most reported incidents occurred at school, accounting for 69.6 percent of responses, compared with 28.0 percent outside school. Classrooms alone accounted for 28.2 percent, while hallways and stairways made up 16.4 percent. Online spaces accounted for 7.1 percent.
The MOE also said the proportion of students who reported committing school violence fell to 0.8 percent from 1.1 percent a year earlier. The rate dropped to 1.6 percent among elementary school students and 0.7 percent among middle school students. It remained unchanged at 0.1 percent among high school students.
Among students who said they had committed violence, 30.6 percent said they had done so as a joke or for no particular reason. Another 21.7 percent said the other student had bullied them first. Another 12.6 percent pointed to misunderstandings or disagreements with the other person.
The survey also found that the share of students who said they had witnessed school violence rose to 6.7 percent from 6.1 percent a year earlier. The rate was 11.0 percent among elementary school students, 6.8 percent among middle school students and 2.6 percent among high school students.
Among those who witnessed violence, 33.1 percent said they comforted or helped the victim, while 17.7 percent tried to stop the aggressor and 17.2 percent reported the incident to an adult or authorities. Another 31.0 percent said they were unable to take any action.
Based on the findings, the MOE said it will strengthen prevention programs that teach students practical ways to manage conflicts, express emotions and intervene when they witness violence. It also plans to expand hands-on prevention programs beginning in the second semester of 2026.
Authorities will also step up their response to newer forms of school violence, including the “Yacha Rule,” a slang term referring to fights conducted without formal rules or protective equipment, as well as sparring-style assaults. The MOE and the National Police Agency (NPA) issued an alert over Yacha Rule violence in August.
The government also plans to work with the Broadcast Media and Communications Commission to improve its response to videos of school violence circulated online and expand programs aimed at resolving less serious conflicts through relationship restoration.
"We will do our utmost to establish effective prevention education that builds real conflict-management skills and educational solutions centered on restoring relationships," said Shim Min-chul, director general for student health and safety policy at the MOE.
“We will also work closely with the National Police Agency and other relevant authorities to respond swiftly to new forms of school violence that continue to emerge.”
The survey is a self-reported perception survey conducted by the NYPI at the request of the country’s 17 provincial and metropolitan education offices and is not an officially approved national statistic.
AJP Takeaways
- South Korea’s Ministry of Education said on September 9, 2026, that 2.9 percent of students reported experiencing school violence in its first nationwide survey of the year, up 0.4 percentage point from 2.5 percent in 2025.
- The 2026 survey found verbal abuse remained the most common form of school violence at 37.8 percent of reported cases, while physical violence rose 1.1 percentage points and group bullying increased 0.7 percentage point from 2025.
- The National Youth Policy Institute survey, conducted online from April 14 to May 13, 2026, covered 3.9 million students from the fourth grade of elementary school through the third year of high school, with 3.19 million students, or 81.9 percent, participating.
- South Korea’s Ministry of Education said it will expand practical school violence prevention programs from the second semester of 2026 and work with the National Police Agency to respond to emerging forms of violence, including “Yacha Rule” fights and sparring-style assaults.
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