Police are launching a two-month intensive campaign to prevent school violence as the new semester begins. The initiative aims to work closely with education authorities to eliminate school violence early, given the higher likelihood of incidents at the start of academic terms.
The National Police Agency announced on March 2 that it will conduct intensive school violence prevention activities from March 3 through April 30.
Police plan to strengthen prevention efforts centered on School Police Officers (SPOs) in collaboration with education authorities. During the campaign period, SPOs will visit all schools under their jurisdiction to establish close communication channels with teachers responsible for school violence issues. SPOs and the 117 School Violence Reporting Center will be actively promoted to parents through school newsletters, while joint campaigns with education offices and schools will be conducted at institutions with elevated concerns.
Customized education programs addressing the trend of younger perpetrators and cyber-related incidents will also expand. Police will strengthen education on verbal abuse, cyberbullying, and digital sex crime prevention for elementary and middle school students. Virtual reality training opportunities using Youth Police Schools will increase as well. The high-definition VR content covers emotional and physical school violence, as well as gambling and drug prevention education.
Police will also intensify intelligence gathering, considering that school violence has increasingly merged with emerging crimes such as online gambling, drugs, and deepfake content. Through the "Emerging Crime Alert" system, police will distribute nationwide warnings via card news about new threats targeting youth, including requests for phone verification codes, deepfake risks, and social media fraud schemes.
Authorities have made clear they will respond firmly to serious cases. Violent gangs and sexual assault cases will be processed through expedited investigations, while minor incidents will be addressed through "restorative policing" that focuses on dialogue between victims and perpetrators to restore relationships and prevent recurrence. Of 1,475 restorative policing cases last year, 137 (9.3%) involved school violence.
SPOs will conduct one-on-one interviews and close monitoring of both victims and perpetrators to check for additional criminal activity. Victims will receive protective support including crime victim safety measures, while perpetrators will be connected to guidance programs to prevent reoffending and retaliation.
"Setting the right atmosphere early in the semester is crucial for preventing school violence," said Yoo Jae-sung, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency. "We will respond systematically from prevention to follow-up management through close cooperation with schools."
He added: "We will work thoroughly to create a safe environment free from school violence so that students and parents can feel secure."