[Korean Culture & Language] School Bullying in Korea

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Suicide is the leading cause of death among those between the ages of 15 and 24 in South Korea. Researchers believe that the high suicidal rates in South Korean schools are due to the intensely competitive academic environment and the prevalence of bullying practices. 

Everyone Is There, a Korean drama that aired on January 16, 2020 highlights the ‘학폭’ issue. ‘학폭’ is an abbreviation for ‘학교폭력,’ which means ‘school bullying’.

Photo by Ilayza on Unsplash

While 학폭(school bullying) is often dismissed as ‘part of growing up’ or ‘kids being kids,’ many kids get seriously traumatized by it. According to a poll conducted by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, about one out of every ten students in Korean elementary and secondary schools has experienced different types of violence at the hands of their classmates. 

‘모두 그 곳에 있다(Everyone Is There)’ depicts the life of a typical ‘학폭’ victim through Soo-Yeon, the main character. One day, she gets beaten so badly by her classmates that she loses consciousness and is taken to the hospital. As in most 학폭 situations in real life, the teachers and mothers of the offenders act as though the victim, Soo-yeon, is to blame for everything that has happened. As Soo-Yeon attempts suicide, a counselor and her twin, Jung-Yeon, appear. Even though Soo-Yeon and Jung-Yeon have the same appearances, their personalities are quite different. While Soo-Yeon gets bullied at school and is unable to stand up for herself, Jung-Yeon gets enraged and pays the perpetrators back by bullying them the same way Soo-Yeon was bullied. At the end of the film, Su-Yeon says that she wants to be a counselor when she grows up. 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tetFlvjO2G0

‘학폭’ has long been a major problem in Korean schools, and several well-known K-pop stars have been suspended after being found to be bullies. Proper punishment for these kids is required, but because of 촉법 소년 제도, there hasn’t been a perfect solution yet. I’ll cover 촉법 소년 제도 in my next article.

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