Cases of school bullying are on the increase in France. South Korea is plagued by this phenomenon. Today, the victims invest the social networks to publicly denounce their executioners and demand an in-depth change in the legislation. This societal phenomenon has been baptized Hakpok #MeToo (hakpok means “school violence” in Korean).
Pyo Ye-rim chose to speak loud and clear. This 26-year-old hairdresser went through hell during her schooling: students placed tacks in her shoes, plunged her head into the toilet bowl or even hit her in the stomach. It is alone that Pyo Ye-rim says she suffered from this school violence, ignored for years by teachers who invited her to “be nicer” to her bullies.
Forced to drop out
The young woman was then forced to drop out of school and follow professional training, giving up her plans for higher education. “There was only one thing I wanted…someone to help me,” she told AFP. No one came to her aid, leading her to “escape and try to survive on her own”.
School bullying is common in this education-obsessed country, where children study up to 16 hours a day in private schools or institutes, experts say. The authorities have taken action to eradicate it, but according to activists, it still often remains unpunished at the time of the events and the limitation period complicates the filing of complaints by victims who report themselves years later.
The Netflix series “The Glory” has reignited the debate
Pyo Ye-rim says he suffered from insomnia and depression for a long time after his schooling. She finally chose to come out of silence and publicly accuse her former oppressors. One of them has since lost his job. The young woman is campaigning for a real change in the legislation. She wants the limitation period to be dropped for acts of school violence and a change in the law on defamation to better protect victims.
The Netflix series “The Glory”, which chronicles the carefully planned revenge of a former victim of school violence, has reignited the debate on bullying in South Korea. Paradoxical proof of the extent of the phenomenon, its director, Ahn Gil-ho, was himself accused of harassment committed during his adolescence and forced to apologize.