A record 612,496 cases of bullying -- up nearly 70,000 from the previous year -- were reported at elementary, junior high and high schools and special-needs schools nationwide in the 2019 academic year, according to an Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry survey released Thursday.
The increase was particularly noticeable at elementary schools, while the number of those with "serious situations" that included life-threatening cases and ones believed to have led to the victims' truancy increased by 20% to a record 723.
The ministry's survey on problematic behaviors and truancy found 484,545 bullying cases at elementary schools (up 13.8% from the previous school year), 106,524 at junior high schools (up 9%), 18,352 at high schools (up 3.6%), and 3,075 in special-needs schools (up 14.9%). The number of bullying cases at elementary schools has grown fourfold over the past five years.
The most common type of bullying was teasing, badmouthing or threatening remarks, followed by hitting or kicking pretending that they are playing, and ostracism and neglect as a group.
The Law for the Promotion of Measures to Prevent Bullying came into effect in 2013, and schools are required to actively look into any suspected bullying, leading to the increasing number of reported cases.
Of the serious cases, 301 cases, or 31 more than the previous year, were suspected of resulting in the victims' death, mental and physical harm, or property damage, while 517 cases, up 97, involved truancy for more than 30 days due to bullying, while 95 of the cases fall under both categories.
There were 317 suicides, down 15, with the number exceeding 300 for the second consecutive year. There were two suicides caused by bullying at elementary schools, seven in junior high schools and one in a high school.
The number of bullying cases involving online defamation reached a record 17,924, reflecting the rise of bullying via social media.
Record high numbers of school absences and violent acts were reported in the survey, totaling 181,272 (up 10.2%) at elementary and junior high schools, and 78,787 (up 8%), respectively.
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