School bullying reviews at South Korean high schools surpassed 7,600 cases last year, marking the third consecutive annual increase, as universities increasingly penalize applicants with bullying records in admissions.
According to Jongro Academy on Wednesday, a total of 7,646 school bullying reviews were conducted across 2,397 high schools nationwide last year, up 2.7% from 7,446 the previous year. The figure has continued to rise since reaching 5,834 in 2023. By region, Seoul saw the steepest increase at 5.3%, followed by provincial areas at 3.6% and the Gyeongin region at 0.6%.
Among the reviewed cases, verbal abuse accounted for the largest share at 32.5%, followed by physical violence at 25.6%, cyberbullying at 13.4%, sexual violence at 10.8%, and coercion at 4.6%. By high school type, nationwide autonomous private high schools and international high schools posted sharp increases of 112.5% and 116.7%, respectively. Science high schools and schools for the gifted saw declines of 19.4% and 16.7%.
The trend contrasts with a 2.7% drop in actual disciplinary actions imposed on perpetrators, which totaled 12,628 last year. The most common penalty was Level 2, a ban on contact, threats and retaliation, at 28.1%, followed by Level 1, a written apology, at 20.1%, and Level 3, school community service, at 19.2%. Expulsion, the most severe Level 9 penalty, was imposed in 42 cases, similar to the previous year.
Education officials attribute the rise in review requests to the growing impact of school bullying records on college admissions. Major universities now impose strict penalties on applicants with bullying histories. Seoul National University and Korea University plan to factor in even the lowest-tier Level 1 written apology in their admissions decisions. Yonsei University bars such applicants from applying to its recommendation-based admissions track altogether.
The trend is expected to intensify in the 2028 academic year admissions cycle, which current high school sophomores will face. "In the 2028 academic year, major universities will strengthen their evaluation of school records not only in early admissions but also in regular admissions," said Lim Sung-ho, head of Jongro Academy. "Test-takers should be aware that school bullying records could serve as a significant disadvantage in college admissions."
