South Korea's School Bullies
Inside the South Korean bullying crisis
Statistics reveal that nearly one in three students in South Korea have been bullied by their peers at school. This disturbing trend has been accompanied by a surge in suicides among school-aged children.
With the evolution of technology and social media sites, bullying is no longer limited to the classroom. One student Haeon revealed, "in group chats, I could easily receive more than 300 messages a day." Some of South Korea's most prominent celebrities have faced accusations of bullying during their teenage years. The public are taking issue with the lack of repercussions for this behaviour. A former bully who is now in their 30s explained, "if I had suffered from my actions I might have regretted what I’d done. But I never had to take any responsibility." In the next few years, the government aims to introduce stricter punishments for bullying that can affect a person's chances of going to university. "It is not too late to take firm actions through rules and norms" says National Assembly member Lee Tae-Gyu.
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