It's Not School Violence

A denial and downplaying expression used by perpetrators, celebrities, and politicians regarding school violence allegations; a keyword symbolizing the conflict over the social discourse and legal jud

It's Not School Violence

Overview

"It's not school violence" (학교폭력 아냐) is a denial and downplaying expression used by individuals accused of school violence (hereafter "school violence" or hakpok) or by those defending them, and it is a keyword that frequently appears in disputes over whether school violence actually occurred. Beyond a simple personal statement of explanation, it symbolizes the school violence discourse in Korean society, in which the contest between victims' claims and perpetrators' denials is repeated across public opinion, the courts, the entertainment industry, and the education sector. In particular, as disclosures of school violence by celebrities, sports stars, and politicians followed one after another after 2021, a structure became entrenched in which defenses such as "that isn't school violence" or "it was just a joke" clash head-on with victims' appeals about their suffering.

Key Content

Concept and Background

The representative defensive logic used by those accused of being perpetrators in school violence controversies is largely divided into three categories. First, "I don't remember"; second, "it was a joke or a quarrel between friends"; and third, "the victim was also a perpetrator." "It's not school violence" is a summary expression encompassing these three, and is read as an attempt to deny the severity of the acts and reduce the incident to a mere adolescent mishap.

Under the Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures against School Violence (School Violence Prevention Act), school violence is defined as acts that cause physical, mental, or property harm to students occurring inside or outside of school, and it encompasses not only physical assault but also verbal violence, cyberbullying, coercion, sexual violence, and extortion of money and valuables. Accordingly, claims such as "since I didn't hit anyone, it isn't school violence" are often difficult to sustain under the legal definition.

Social Spread

Starting with the 2021 school violence disclosure involving professional volleyball players the Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong (이재영·이다영) sisters, school violence controversies spread throughout the entertainment, sports, and broadcasting industries. Afterwards, numerous idols, actors, baseball players, and comedians were embroiled in allegations of perpetrating school violence, and many of them issued explanations to the effect that "we were close," or "it was a misunderstanding." Some admitted the facts and apologized and went into self-reflection, while others denied it to the end and took legal action.

In this process, the defense "it's not school violence" became subject to controversy over sincerity among the public. As victims' statements and perpetrators' claims sharply diverged, cases appeared simultaneously in which reputations were damaged by groundless false accusations, and, conversely, in which perpetrators used their fame to pressure victims.

Legal Issues

School violence controversies lead to legal disputes such as defamation, insult, false accusation, and violations of the Information and Communications Network Act. If a victim's claim is false, the accused may bear criminal liability for false accusation or defamation; conversely, if school violence actually occurred but is denied, civil liability for damages may arise separately from the disposition of the School Violence Countermeasures Deliberation Committee (School Violence Committee). The dispositions of the School Violence Committee are divided into nine types for the perpetrating student, including written apology, prohibition of contact, threats, and retaliation, school service, community service, special education, transfer, and expulsion.

For incidents that occurred long ago, the statute of limitations and securing of evidence become core issues. This is also why defenses such as "I don't remember" are frequent regarding events from decades ago. Recently, the "school violence history risk" has been highlighted, in which school violence records become a problem even after graduation at the stages of fraudulent residence registration, university admissions, and employment.

Polarization of Public Opinion

School violence controversies divide public opinion in two. Victim-centered voices demand, "Do not deny the victim's trauma," while the parties accused of perpetrating school violence push back, saying, "Lives are destroyed by unverified disclosures." On social media and online communities, a standardized cycle of "school violence disclosure—denial—battle over evidence—legal response" repeats, and there is a tendency for partisan logic to operate regardless of the truth of the matter.

Latest Trends

Changes in 2024–2025

Institutionalized management of school violence records: Procedures for verifying records of school violence dispositions have been strengthened in university admissions (early and regular admissions) and in hiring by public institutions and large corporations. Starting with the 2026 academic year, measures to reflect school violence measures in regular admissions as well are being discussed and expanded.
Use of AI and digital evidence: In school violence disclosure cases, the weight of digital evidence such as messenger conversations, photos, and videos has grown, and false disclosures and defamation cases abusing deepfakes and synthesized images have emerged as new issues.
Convergence of deepfake sex crimes and school violence: Since 2024, as sexual harassment using illegal deepfake composites has emerged at school sites as a new type of school violence, awareness has spread that defenses such as "it was a joke" do not work.
Linkage to suicide and mental health issues: As extreme choices by victims of school violence have become social issues, the need for victim protection and post-incident support systems is being emphasized.
Risk in the entertainment industry and political circles: School violence controversies are directly linked to suspension of celebrity activities, termination of advertising contracts, and withdrawal of political candidates, and "school violence risk" has become a subject of management at the level of brands and political parties.

Tasks for the Maturation of Discourse

The defense "it's not school violence" cannot be conclusively determined to be unconditionally false, nor can it be believed to be unconditionally true. The key is the balance between verifiable procedures and victim protection. Establishing a judicial and administrative system capable of protecting both those victimized by false accusation (victims of false disclosure) and actual victims of school violence is cited as a remaining task as of 2025.