A new survey finds that more students experienced school violence this year compared to the two previous years as they returned to classes after disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The education ministry announced on Tuesday the results of a survey on elementary fourth-years to high school third-years, conducted by its education offices nationwide with the exception of North Jeolla Province.

The survey found that one-point-seven percent of respondents had suffered school bullying and violence this year. The tally is up zero-point-six percentage points from a similar survey conducted last year and up zero-point-one percentage points from the pre-pandemic 2019.

Verbal abuse constituted the lion’s share at nearly 42 percent, followed by physical violence at 14-point-six percent and collective ostracism at 13-point-three percent.

The education ministry plans to take active measures to address the lack of social skills among students as a result of personal interaction during the pandemic. 

Vice education minister Jang Sang-yoon said the current transition to normalcy in schools is a crucial time to prevent student-on-student violence. He said the government will analyze patterns of school violence to devise preventive measures by next February.