Bullying in South Korea

Bullying is a public problem.  It should not be considered as a part of the normal growing pains of a young child. With the help of media sharing stories from all over the world about bullying, the belief that it is part of life and that it is normal and even necessary for healthy adulthood, has started to change (Kim, Koh & Leventhal, 2004).  Scientific reports have demonstrated that bullying is a significant, independent risk factor for suicidal ideation and behaviors in adolescents who had been victimized repeatedly (Kim, 2006; Kim, Leventhal, Koh & Boyce, 2009).  In fact, there were 517 suicides in the 10-24 age range between the years of 1998-2002 in America directly caused by bullying (Rosenthal, 2008).  Educators must accept that bullying is a severe problem that must be dealt with and stopped in schools.