Education authorities and police launched an investigation after a report that middle school students ranked classmates and forced harsh acts, including coercion and violence.
According to the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education on the 8th, a report was filed that first-year students at a middle school in Gwangyang formed a private group and bullied classmates for months.
Some students created an organization called the "Succession Association," called themselves No. 1, and then designated students up to No. 6 to assign ranks.
The report was said to include that students were forced to call those with higher numbers "boss," use honorifics, were banned from using the elevator and the nurse's office, and had to wait in a "transparent chair" posture during assemblies.
If they did not follow the orders of higher-ranked students, they were assaulted, such as being slapped, and it was found that games were used as a pretext to make lower-ranked students fight each other.
The office of education suspended attendance for the students identified as perpetrators, separated them from the victims on campus, and also began a school violence investigation.
Three students known to have been heavily involved were reported to police on charges including assault.
An official at the office of education said, "The School Violence Deliberation Committee will determine the level of disciplinary action after an investigation."