More than six-thousand students missed school for more than two months last year without specific reasons.

According to data from the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) on Sunday, six-thousand-332 elementary, middle and high school students were absent from school for over two months in the 2023 academic year from March 2023 to February 2024.

Educational authorities define long-term absenteeism as missing more than one third of the 190 school days or 64 days without reasons.

In elementary schools, three-thousand-81 students were long-term absentees last year, accounting for one-point-two percent of all elementary school students, while the figure for middle school marked three-thousand-240, taking up two-point-four percent of the students.

Experts called for efforts to analyze the reasons for the absences and produce measures tailored to the students, expressing concerns that many of the long-term absentees are likely suffering from abuse or neglect by their parents or guardians.