Korean School Bullying Is Out of Control

Summary

The video argues that school bullying in South Korea is serious, but its scale is difficult to capture with a single statistic. An international survey cited in the video found that Korean 15-year-olds were more likely than students elsewhere in the OECD to say they were rarely bullied. At the same time, South Korea’s own school-violence survey has risen for six consecutive years.

The figures are not directly comparable: the surveys ask different questions and cover different ages. The presenter also notes that reported bullying is much more common in elementary school than in high school, while some forms of bullying—such as collective exclusion—may not be labeled as violence by students or adults.

The video’s central explanation is seoyeol, or hierarchical ranking. The presenter links it to age-based respect, Korean speech levels, pressure to fit into a group, and intense competition. Within a classroom of students the same age, status may be based on wealth, appearance, academic ability, or family connections. These norms can make harmful behavior seem like “keeping order,” while group pressure can turn one student into a target.

How Bullying Develops Through School

• Elementary school: Children may rank classmates by visible signs of family wealth, including clothes, phones, and where they live. The video describes derogatory nicknames tied to public or rental housing and reports of children comparing apartment sizes. It also recounts a high-profile case in which a politician’s child was accused of seriously assaulting a younger student. A later audit found that the disciplinary scoring process had been predetermined in that and other cases.

• Pressure on teachers and parents’ influence: The video describes how some parents use complaints, demands, or social influence to challenge teachers’ authority. It recounts the death of a Seoul teacher after a classroom incident and intense parental pressure, followed by mass teacher protests and new laws intended to protect teachers’ educational authority and route complaints through school principals. It also notes that many child-abuse investigations involving teachers ended without charges, while arguing that even unfounded complaints can make teachers feel vulnerable.

• Middle school: Bullying may become more coercive, and legal responsibility becomes a larger issue. The presenter says that children under 14 cannot be criminally charged in South Korea, though cases may be handled through juvenile measures. The video discusses a severe assault in Busan and a 2006 case in Cheongju involving prolonged abuse with a curling iron. It also describes wanta, the collective isolation of a student, and roles such as “bread courier” or “Wi-Fi courier,” in which a targeted student is made to serve the group. Digital harassment—including repeatedly adding a student to abusive group chats and the spread of deepfakes—is another concern.

• High school and university admissions: The presenter says school-violence cases can affect university applications, but families may challenge disciplinary decisions in court, delaying outcomes. One prominent case involved a student at an elite school whose family fought a transfer order; the student later entered Seoul National University. The scandal prompted a policy requiring universities to consider school-violence records in admissions. The video also describes the 2004 Miryang sexual-assault case, criticizing the treatment of victims and the limited consequences for many of the perpetrators. Later online doxxing revived public attention but also targeted people who were not involved.

What the Presenter Says Could Help

The video argues that bullying persists partly because it can bring social rewards or status, so prevention should make it less advantageous. It cites research suggesting that anti-bullying programs reduce incidents on average, especially when they include classroom discussion and information for parents.

The presenter emphasizes four responses:

1. Encourage classmates to intervene safely. Research cited in the video suggests bullying often stops quickly when someone steps in.
2. Treat a sincere apology as important. A Korean survey found that around seven in ten bullied students most wanted an apology.
3. Use mediation and settlement where appropriate, while recognizing that agreement alone does not guarantee healing.
4. Give teachers the authority and support to intervene without being paralyzed by fear of complaints.

The presenter criticizes revenge-focused dramas and purely punitive approaches as incomplete. Punishment may satisfy audiences, but relying only on government or school sanctions can lead to overregulation and does not address the social dynamics that sustain bullying.

The broader conclusion is that hierarchies exist in every society; what matters is whether status rests on competence and responsibility or on power and the ability to harm others.

Presenter: Dr. Jonathan Tam.