Original article in Korean is at this link.

Beginning with the first semester of this year elementary, middle, and high school students who participate in school violence will have that fact placed in their permanent records (학교생활기록부).

On the 15th the Ministry of Science, Education, and Technology announced that beginning on March 1 it plans to implement guidelines on the creation and management of permanent records, which includes that rule.

The rule will not apply retroactively, applying only to incidents of school violence occurring on or after March 1.

When an incident occurs, any student who is found by the school’s committee on school violence to have participated will have notations made of their punishments on their school transcripts, attendance records, particular actions, and combined opinion. Punishments can include written apologies, community service, suspension, counseling, and transfer to another school.

The permanent record’s note of the punishment will be available to high schools and universities upon request before their entrance examinations, and those schools will be free to use the information in admissions as they see fit.

The recording of school violence incidents will be done in accordance with article 2 of the law on preventing school violence. Recordable incidents, whether committed in or out of school, will include causing physical or mental harm or property damage through injuries, assault, false imprisonment, threats, robbery, defamation and insults, blackmail, forced sex and sexual assault, ostracism, and use of technology to spread sexual or violent information.

The information will stay on record for five years for elementary and middle school students and 10 years for high school students.

The Ministry plans to inform schools and municipal offices of education about managing the permanent records.