As school violence records effectively lead to "college rejection," courts are getting busier. As parents move to erase school violence histories from their children's school life records, or student records, by filing administrative appeals and lawsuits, law firms are adding staff to respond.
According to the Korean Bar Association on the 12th, 68 lawyers are registered with school violence as a specialty. Of these, 23 (33.8%) registered in the past year, and seven (10.3%) registered in the past three months. With school violence cases surging, more lawyers are quickly entering the market targeting this field.
A lawyer can register a specialty after taking training and handling at least 30 related cases over the past three years. As school violence has emerged as a social issue and become directly tied to college admissions, the increase in case demand appears to be driving efforts to make this a specialty area.
◇ At major Seoul universities, 99% of school violence perpetrators fail … "Once it's on the record, it's over"
This shift is linked to a system in which a school violence history effectively means "failure in college admissions." The Ministry of Education has mandated that all admissions tracks, including early and regular, reflect school violence measures starting with the 2026 academic year. As a result, test-takers receive deductions and find themselves at a disadvantage against competitors with similar scores.
According to data titled "Status of reflecting school violence in early admissions for the 2026 academic year," submitted by the office of Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jin Sun-mi and obtained from the Ministry of Education, at 10 major universities in Seoul, 149 out of 150 applications (99.3%) from those with school violence records were rejected. At 170 universities nationwide, 2,460 out of 3,273 cases (75.2%) were rejected. In regular admissions as well, 26 out of 28 cases (92.9%) at the 10 major universities and 535 out of 593 cases (90.2%) at 165 universities nationwide were rejected, leading to analysis that if a school violence record remains, entering college is effectively difficult.
School violence measures are classified from level 1 to 9 by law, with level 1, a written apology, being the lightest and level 9, expulsion, the heaviest. Previously, only level 4 and above were entered into the student record, but beginning with the 2026 academic year, level 1 dispositions will also be reflected in admissions. A single level 1 disposition is deferred from the record, but if it is issued twice, it remains.
Level 1 to 3 dispositions are deleted just before graduation, but if issued twice or more, students effectively must take another year to avoid disadvantages. Levels 4 to 7 can also be deleted, but the impact on admissions is unavoidable, and levels 8 and 9 cannot be deleted at all. Recently, more universities are requiring pledge forms regarding school violence history.
A school violence specialist lawyer at a local office of education said, "About half of the parents who come for consultations are accompanied by lawyers," and noted, "Rather than denying the disposition, many try to reduce level 4 to 5 matters to level 3 or below to avoid having any record at all."
◇ Unconditional administrative lawsuits, counter-accusation tactics … retainers reaching 10 million won
To prevent a school violence disposition from remaining in the student record, one must file an objection with the city or provincial office of education, and if the result stands, proceed to an administrative lawsuit. As more families pursue legal options to prevent disadvantages in college admissions, related lawsuits are on the rise. School violence cases at the Seoul Administrative Court increased from 51 in 2022 to 134 last year, and the court expanded dedicated panels from two to four.
Kim Gyeong-su, managing attorney at Pivot Law Office, said, "Inquiries about administrative appeals and lawsuits have risen sharply," adding, "As cases of college rejection became known, parental anxiety has grown." Han Ah-reum, managing attorney at Law Firm LF, also said, "In the past, there was a tendency to accept a level 1 disposition, but now many cases proceed to litigation."
There are also more consultations about "counter-accusations," in which the alleged perpetrator reports the victim in reverse to downplay the case. Hwang Hye-young, an attorney at Law Firm Apart, said, "It is an attempt to reduce responsibility, but it can come across as a lack of remorse."
As demand increases, retainers are also rising. General cases range from 5.5 million to 7.7 million won, but some exceed 10 million won. With fierce competition in portal ads, there are concerns about market overheating. One lawyer said, "Some non-experts claim to offer consulting, so caution is needed."