As records of school violence lead in effect to "college rejection," courts are getting busier. As parents move to erase school violence histories from their children's school life records and file administrative appeals and lawsuits, law firms are ramping up related staffing in response.
According to the Korean Bar Association on the 12th, 68 attorneys have registered school violence as a specialty. Of these, 23 (33.8%) registered in the past year, and 7 (10.3%) registered in the past three months. As school violence cases surge, more attorneys are quickly entering the market targeting this field.
Attorneys 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, demand for cases has grown, spurring moves to make it a dedicated practice area.
◇ At major Seoul universities, 99% of school violence perpetrators fail… "Once it's on record, it's over"
This shift aligns with a system in which a school violence history effectively leads to "college admission failure." Starting with the 2026 academic year, the Ministry of Education will require all admissions tracks, including rolling and regular, to reflect school violence measures. As a result, test-takers receive point deductions and are placed at a disadvantage against competitors with similar scores.
According to materials titled "Reflection of school violence in rolling admissions for the 2026 academic year," submitted by the Ministry of Education to Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the Democratic Party of Korea, at 10 major universities in Seoul, 149 of 150 applications (99.3%) with a school violence record were rejected. Nationwide, at 170 universities, 2,460 of 3,273 cases (75.2%) were rejected. In regular admissions as well, 26 of 28 cases (92.9%) at 10 major universities and 535 of 593 cases (90.2%) at 165 universities nationwide were rejected, leading to analysis that if a school violence record remains, college admission is effectively out of reach.
School violence measures are classified from level 1 to 9 under the 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 school record, but starting in the 2026 academic year, level 1 dispositions will also be reflected in college admissions. A single level 1 disposition is deferred from recording, but a second results in a record.
Level 1–3 dispositions are deleted just before graduation, but if there are two or more, in effect a student must take a gap year to avoid disadvantages. Levels 4–7 can be deleted, but the impact on admissions is unavoidable, and levels 8 and 9 cannot be deleted at all. Recently, more universities have begun requiring pledges related to school violence histories.
An attorney specializing in school violence at a metropolitan office of education said, "About half of the parents who come for consultations are accompanied by attorneys," and added, "Rather than disputing the disposition itself, many seek to downgrade level 4–5 cases to level 3 or below to avoid having any record."
◇ Default to administrative suits, counter-accusation tactics rise… fees reaching 10 million won
To keep a school violence disposition off the school record, parents file an objection with the city or provincial office of education; if the result is upheld, they proceed to an administrative lawsuit. As more families take legal action to prevent admissions disadvantages, related litigation is increasing. School violence cases at the Seoul Administrative Court rose from 51 in 2022 to 134 last year, and the court expanded its dedicated panels from two to four.
Kim Kyeong-soo, head attorney at Pivot Law Office, said, "Inquiries about administrative appeals and lawsuits have surged," noting, "As cases of college rejection became known, parents' anxiety grew." Han Areum, head 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 lawsuits."
More consultations now involve "counter-accusations," in which the perpetrating student reports the victim to downplay the case. Attorney Hwang Hye-young of Law Firm Apart said, "It's an attempt to reduce responsibility, but it can come across as a lack of remorse."
As demand grows, fees are rising. Typical cases cost between 5.5 million and 7.7 million won, but some exceed 10 million won. With competition intensifying for portal ads, concerns are rising about an overheated market. One attorney said, "Some non-experts present themselves as advisors, so caution is needed."