TL;DR - Bullying in South Korea

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Today we talk about bullying in South Korea. We can't comment on what it's like for every student or for every school. The best we could do is relate our experiences as teachers in South Korea. Student Life here is very different from what we were used to growing up as students, and we think that leads to different perceptions of bullying and different bullying practices as well. We also talk about what we've seen teachers do about bullying, and we also relate what they've told us about it.
Thanks to B1A4 Chile for the Spanish subs! Woot!
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[@neurokid1]

Bullying from 7am to 10pm? Now thats dedication.

[@MegaShredder101]

Not just dedication but that is your whole life. They work these kids to death and make them act like robots. What is the point of being smart in school when you lose your soul?

[@MegaShredder101]

Sebastion Gray Talk about retarted? South Koreans believe you can die with a fan on. That sounds preety retarted to me if South Korea is SO SMART.

[@wrightmollie2890]

Sebastion Gray No it's more like education embedded in korean culture. i remember watching documentaries on korean education in history. their education system was so strict and dedicated, no comparables can be found in other cultures. they believed acquiring knowledge leads to self-enlightenment so education was important part of their lifestyle, almost like their religion. the nobles and the riches had to take highly competitive national exams and if they did not pass, their noble status was taken away from them.

[@iiximachineixii]

MegaShredder101 Yea and you asshats think Jesus is white, trust me Koreans have a MINIMAL amount of ridiculous misconceptions in comparisons to Americans who at one point believed blacks were 3/5 of a person.

[@iiximachineixii]

wright mollie Most Koreans 200 years ago were just farmers and solider's just like most Asians scattered throughout China and Japan, of course there were some wealthy lords who were able to achieve nobleman status but that doesn't mean education was a bigger part of the Korean culture then China or Japan. Korea was destroyed after the war and when the South rebuilt they put a HUGE emphasis in schools, schools in Korea are fucken massive compared to the average public schools in America as well. If Korea hadn't put a huge emphasis on education we would look like thailand or vietnam, education is the ONLY reason we were able to lift ourselves out of poverty, so I think your quite incorrect in saying that the Korean education system was a byproduct of a culture that put unnecessary emphasis on education and not the byproduct of a country that was on the BRINK of poverty and had to FIGHT ITS WAY OUT through education. So you and the OP if he was being serious can go abort a baby cause he is a boy you social justices pieces of shit, If America was more like Korea or China and not obsessed with faggots getting their feelings hurt and having gender freaks bitching about locker room semantic's maybe our country wouldn't be such the shithole it is today.

[@Fyralynn]

"Are you trying to ruin my kids' reputation!?" .... Srsly? My reply would basically come down to "Your kid is a disgrace, a bully and you as a parent should be ashamed." Because they care how their kid reflects on them, right? I really wouldnt take that sitting down especially if I have a student thats being bullied in my class.

[@motonia7452]

Unfortunately, THE BIGGEST key to get a job in Korean society is going a good university(college). And universities(colleges) check College Enterance Exam score, report card from their schools, and their transcripts of school records. The transcripts have an information that he or she bullied him or her. So that's why their parents said like that

[@Shmaples]

+배주식 Well that kid deserves to have the information about the bullying..that is the point of it..and if her child is going to act like a bully and if the parent isn't going to acknowledge or take any responsibility for it, then the kid will have to suffer the consequences. Its appalling to me that the Teacher was thrown under the bus and that the Principal didn't stand behind his employees... appalling.

[@motonia7452]

+Shmaples Unfortunately, there is an one of the pre-steps not to write that information on transcripts. If parents whose students get bullied agree on agreements, student who bullied and their parents won't have to go to the court.

[@Shmaples]

배주식 right and that sucks too because chances are, the "agreement" was probably more along the lines of the bully's family pressuring and oppressing the bullied kid even further.. But in this case, it didn't seem like any agreement was met. The principal took the side of the bully (probably more worried about the schools "image" than doing the right thing) and the teacher (who was just doing her job to protect her students) had her job threatened.. this just indicates that there's a major problem with the current system in place in Korea. I'm not trying to single Korea out because plenty of other countries have issues but in regards to this particular one, the issue needs to be acknowledged and fixed. The fact that the Teacher received any repercussions is extremely convoluted.

[@motonia7452]

+Shmaples I think it'll be more complicated to solve this problem. First it's hard to get a job without diploma. Companies like HYUNDAI, SAMSUNG, etc like universities(colleges) graduators. People who don't have diplomas get less pay, and more discrimination. Korean Government tries to solve this problem by building industrial world high schools and so on, but companies(even public companies) mind to hire people who graduated from that high schools. So parents of students don't like to send their students to that high school. Second, if you read this reason you can feel weird, congresspeople don't actually really care about students. They just care voters to increase their seats. To solve this problem, companies, congresspeople, and parents should change their minds.

[@1234kingconan]

I have a theory. Kids really want to help the bullying victims but they are too afraid of being bullied themselves, and in addition the system does not protect victims or really seek justice from bullies. Like you guys said, the bully was victorious in the end, which is truly unjust. It's sad that it takes a *trend* of *suicides*, not just a couple, but a trend(!!) of increasing suicides from youth to show that this is a problem. I think S Korea is a wonderful place, I love it, but I hope these victims get the justice they deserve.

[@wrightmollie2890]

Bullying exists in every country, race and culture, men, women, young and old. Bullying is a learned behaviour and usually starts at home. Their parents are mostly their role-model and the reason behind thier bullying. both parents and the bullies need professional help. And often those that are bullied also have issues (not trying to justify bully) and many of them display traits that make them easy targets. In worse cases they are socially challenged or emotionally unstable, hence disliked by everyone(even by teachers in extreme cases) I grew up in 3 different continents and bullying is a big issue in any society but unfortunately its very diff to control it esp among youth.

[@loulove321]

I am from England and I got bullied in school (I'm now home schooled due to illness) but when I was in school I was also isolated from my class and bullied, never hit much, because I did hit people back if they hit me or touched me, but my bullying was never as bad as being completely isolated from everyone to a point where if someone spoke to me that everyone would go against them too. It makes me sad to know that students in South Korea go through that kind of bullying. :(

[@ItsMeKelso]

ローラ those who torment the venerable people are sick them self, they arent in their right mind, if they were, they wouldent harm u. think of them as small children or mentaly challanged, its good you took a step and decited to remove ur self, you will learn and grow in life by not allowing things like thie prevent you from progress

[@peachperfume3694]

I used to get bullied at my school in Germany because I was Asian. They would randomly throw rocks and paper balls at me and "joked" about my family dying at the vietnam war during class (I'm not even vietnamese)..my homeroom teacher didn't care..so yeaah..Germany is just as bad

[@rinchi3]

+Ah Yeon wow it's not like that in my school in the US I'm also Vietnamese too and my grandma and grandpa which are mother and father of my mom died in the Vietnam war the people who were bullying you should be very ashamed of themselves they don't know how much the people during the war was like that's why I hate people when they insult the Vietnam war I wish I can know your pain because I never experience anything like that in my school the students don't care I'm so sorry for you

[@kek3539]

Well... In my school, people rarely experienced getting bullied. Once somebody know that you're bullying someone, you'll go straight to the guidance office and they will call your parents then both the parents and the guidance counselor would scold you. It's the opposite here, the bully/bullies will be the one who will be humiliated and isolated.

[@mermaidmoon9367]

Where is your school? It seem like a good enviroment for kids to grow up

[@Foolkat101]

it was the same at my high school. being a bully wasn't a thing at all and in fact most people hate them and if they saw it happening, something would definitely go down. there was this one time when one of the skaters were bullying a kid that was in special ed, 4-5 guys from the football team went up to the skater and threatened the hell out of him. didn't lay a single hand on him but these guys didn't really need to as they were all very big lol

[@dizzyshooter6480]

These videos are the bomb. As a Canadian with zero experience with Korean culture, your segments are very approachable (for new viewers), insightful, humorous & well-structured. Bet you were both amazing teachers, and I am really glad that I found this channel!

[@no-wd8ip]

I live in the UK, and I can honestly say that in my old school they took bullying VERY seriously.

[@mimziexxhwang]

actually, bullying exists everywhere. it always happens when someone is even just a bit different from the people in their environment. like, i've always been shy and my tastes haven't always matched the mass ones so somehow bullies detect that even when you haven't actually talked to them and start tormenting you. i remember when i was little and i was going dancing i wasn't doing anything bad to anyone but they would just laugh at me for nothing and would be disgusted to touch me or my things. in high school, i've been made fun of my hair or the way i dress and there was that one annoying guy who would make fun of my voice narration. i can't imagine what it would be if i had to live with such mean people for 12+ hours a day!

[@browneyedS]

mimziexxboneta I know many people like to make fun of Indian accent. True, its funny... But they surely shouldn't have bullied you for how you look and how you talk :(

[@mimziexxhwang]

browneyedS i'm bulgarian, not indian. what made you think i'm indian? :D i don't have heavy accent when i speak english. he just made fun of how my voice sounded like.

[@ionia2376]

mimziexxboneta Are you a good reader or actor? Maybe they're just jealous of that when they make fun of your voice. Some people who like only mainstream things sometimes don't understand why people like different things and find it slightly strange. Bullies bully for the strangest of reasons, usually jealousy, and I'm sure you'd be quite flattered if you knew the reason they were being mean.

[@peachperfume3694]

In Germany I got bullied for being Asian in middle school..kids in my german home town are pretty racist

[@swanj3882]

Before write, I am Korean and it might be pretty personal opinion of bullying phenomenon. As Simon and Martina said on video, many Korean students are spending most of their time in school(some are living in dorm, though. They stay whole day in school!!). It makes them all the closer each other. But it also bring the side effects like "Bullying". We can see the school as 'compressed society'. So, somthing exists, called status. Students can easily learn from us. There are some groups and main group has the powerful. They doing like 'Dictator'. When they point a student(or students), other groups go along with the main group. Then, that student(or students) spends schooldays like they have 'Scarlet letter'. If other person wants to help them, they also push them out. I found There are some hilarious bullying, so called Shuttle. Not only bags, also breads and wifi. Students are adolscence. They act like grown-up, but still immature. We have to educate how dangerous 'Bullying' is to students. Also, we should set on the good example for students.

[@courtneyhorny261]

+수안정 korean educational system is really problematic!! glad im not born there

[@Takemysenf]

Seriously, the korean school-system-behaviour-whatever is just a violation of human rights. Its like child-labor. Totally INSANE

[@courtneyhorny261]

+rayarts yeah i mean who tf would study from 7am to 11pm. thats sick asf

[@filipurb]

If there was bullying here in Czech republic back when i was going to school, it would have to be very secret among the kids, and when any adult found out, it would be the main thing to solve and big big trouble for the bully. Physicaly agressive bullys would be eventualy transfered to special elementary with disabled and agressive kids.

[@tsubasangel]

woah that is some serious stuff! thanks for sharing!

[@Jo-bc9fx]

I'm also from Czech Rep., and i agree with you. Or we usually just deal with them our selves ;)

[@hanar1060]

If I was a teacher I realized someone was being bullied, I would dedicate a lesson to it and pick one of the people that do the most bullying "randomly" and ask them how they feel about it and if they've ever done it. Then I would call that person to the front and say we're going to do a little activity and I'd tell the class to bully him for a few minutes so he/she has a brief idea about it.

[@toohauteforyou]

Lucifer Escalona It's much better than IGNORING IT! And/or calling the parents who most likely will stand up for their sociopathic kid!!

[@toohauteforyou]

Lucifer Escalona No, we do that a lot in America and it does not work. People say "my kid would never do that" or "it's just kid stuff".

[@cherrixq2831]

Bullying is a problem in all countries but many countires have facilites that help them cope but there are no places like that in places like Korea. i for one cry when i hear such stories because i lost a friend due to bullying and ppl we have to help those who cant speak put about it, we need to be their voice. Much Love South Africa

[@XImemX]

Asian school systems are absurd. Let kids be kids.

[@GodlyHyo]

Some attempted to bully me but they chose the WRROOOONG GIRL! My confidence level is through the roof and I will DESTROY you mentally if you even attempt to look down on me. If I was the outcast in Korea then fine but best believe I wouldn't go down swinging. All I need is earphones and a charger for my iPhone and I'll be golden.

[@megashae468]

Thats not how it works. No matter how high your confidence is, one cannot take constant bulling from 200 students for at least 6 years. Besides they'll probably take your iphone and hide it somewhere so you go looking for it the whole day, everyday. Also, there is not one particular bully in korean wang-dda (or chin-ta) society. Everyone is the bully. Today someone will bully you, tomorrow somebody else will. You will feel like someone will take your shit and hide it whenever someone approaches. Thats how it feels like. I know because I studied in a korean middle school, and admittedly i did laugh at the wang-dda

[@LittleLazyKitty]

+iScream Love Haha you're funny. You probably have never been seriously bullied before.

[@GodlyHyo]

J Jay LittleLazyKitty I know its not THAT easy. I never said it was. I just wouldn't go down swinging. Neither of you know my background and don't know where I've built my confidence from. If I can survive what I went through, I can make it. I refuse to let myself roll over and take it. I pity no one; not even myself. Not everyone bullied is weak willed. Some can rise above it, I am one of those people.

[@cristina.adsc3589]

It's also bc kids who are bullied do not speak up mostly bc of the respect culture (you do not have the right to say something against someone who is older than you even if it's only a few months). Hierarchy also plays a big role so for Korean, disrespecting their culture is more shameful than being bullied. If you think about it, it's everywhere the same, people bully the ones who don"t say nothing. The other problem is that adults do not take any actions against (teachers, parents, etc). So they think that whatever they do, it won't stop. You just need to pay some gangsters so they can beat up the kids after school xd

[@GodlyHyo]

Ya'll are trying to paint a situation in which I wouldn't be able to survive and ya'll need to realize that some are just able to. I don't mind being that person either.

[@liliebilie]

That is really sad. I hope they figure out and change this system. Bullying is serious problem everywhere and while no one is perfectly dealing with it the first step is acknowledging it and putting some systems in place to make those students feel heard, and they they're not alone.

[@333Florence333]

I'm surprised that (to my knowledge) no idols are doing anything to address this issue even though I'm sure some were bullied as well. They have an influence on young people that others don't, they set the trends of what's cool and what's not. The fact that they just move on and ignore it despite the fact that those are their fans just makes me kind of... I don't know, look down on them?

[@Rianmichaelis]

Lots of rookies are bullied for some reason and some got forced for sex. Hum its just like a normal day,so its not something new.

[@ervincasiguran]

just read an article about a high student that committed suicide because of bullying. i really hope that Korea would acknowledge this problem and finds a solution so that the death of the students will no go in to nothing.

[@BasalKibble]

This is why educating more people worldwide about bullying is important even in developed countries because with life lessons on subjects like bullying we become better people. It is not always going to be having better grades that makes you a better person, it is also your attitude and personality.

[@PONR2006]

As a teacher in South America I also face the problem that when a kid is misbehaving in class, whether towards other students or the teachers, the parents really don't help. They tend to side with their kid and get angry at you for accusing their perfect child of wrongdoing. Parents are most of the time's the teacher's enemy, not their allies.

[@Afrocanuk]

Most bullies I've seen in Canada were in the work environment; not in schools. And the vast majority of these bullies had kids in schools.

[@StarMiners0416]

There's also the possible situation when there's that one person who acts like everyone is his/her friend yet everyone doesn't like that person. Classmates might acknowledge his/her presence if that person talks to them, but in their minds they are practically saying "I hate you".

[@AlyssaTaylor9]

I was somewhat of a "wangdda" in middle school. I started off 6th grade with a decent amount of friends, with old ones from elementary school as well as new ones. Then one of those new friends decided she hated me (really, it was as simple as that), and it was really only a matter of time before I became "wangdda." Those who had been my friends turned against me in a bat of the eye. Most of the time, I was ignored. But if I wasn't being ignored, I was being picked on. Nobody would let me sit with them at lunch (my lunchbox was actually physically moved once), kids would refuse to be my partner in class, and I had a ton of awful rumors going around about me. When my gerbil died and I told someone about it, I am not making this up, people laughed. I was teased for everything about me, my acne, my hair, my singing voice (i was in choir), my clothes, my lips (i got teased for having chapped lips one day and it didn't stop for weeks), literally everything about me. I could go on and on. Needless to say, it made me feel like crap. However, I'm definitely a stronger person today because of it. If somebody talks crap about me, I find it much more difficult to care because I know I'll survive and get over it . Sure my feelings can still get hurt, but words have long lost the power to knock me down.

[@LHD-xh5sb]

Alyssa Schiffman woaw you're awesome *wantstogiveyouahug* Stay strong! Fighting! :)

[@AlyssaTaylor9]

Laura H D'aww thanks:) I'm in college now and life's good. You just gotta remember that it always gets better!

[@LHD-xh5sb]

Glad to heard it! :)

[@AlyssaTaylor9]

***** Oh no i live in the US, but my experience seemed to be very similar. Shit, kids would even do the "laugh when they speak up in class" thing to me.

[@browneyedS]

Alyssa Schiffman I thought these kind of things only happens in series or movies... Such a shock to know that it was acutally brought from the reality.

[@SilentReviewer]

Also you didn't mention the murder news. Frequent incidents of bullying to the extent of killing the victim in an ugly way by those teens. Tells you they have such darkness in their lives behind the fashion and excessive makeup.

[@creeperjerky7590]

I'm an 8th grade student in South Korea. The things they talked about in the video are very true! But we don't stay that long in school. Elementary school students stay like 5~6 hours in school, Middle school students like me stay at school for about 6~7 hours. High school students will stay a long time at school. Almost one student in a class becomes wang-dda so that is very bad. I hope this bullying thing disappears soon.

[@vipLollidella]

I don't understand why someone doesn't stand up for the isolated kid. Sure they'll be ignored too, but one true friend is all you really need.

[@annajacobs2136]

I have experienced bullying before it has never been too bad but it still hurts. I always feel so bad for those who are being bullied but I also know what it's like being the bully I sometimes would bring others down I felt so bad but I've change I bring them up instead of breaking them down. I love you all please don't hurt yourselfs

[@summer7354]

Bullying in my school is an issue. Me and my friends have been bullied but thanks to the guidance counselor, they didn't bully us again.

[@_aerith]

I was bullied from 3rd to 8th grade in Brazil, no one would talk to me, except for the school cooks (I used to have lunch with them), whenever I tried to approach anyone they would just walk away, the teachers used to write "she is too quiet" on my reports. As far as I remember, I was always the person that tried to talk to the new students so that they wouldn't feel alone, or when the girl groups had a fight I'd be there for them. It never worked for me. I'm still lonely and I can't trust people.

[@frogsnack7072]

+vrgts1 It's okay to be quiet though- some people are naturally more introverted or extroverted. If you feel like talking, try it, but what can defeat a person is their own expectations. Do not tell yourself any lies about how somebody else will react to you or behave to you. If you are blessed, accept it and if you are cursed, shake the dust off your shoes and go somewhere else. People probably don't remember why they ostracize you anymore, but the best advice I can give you is that you should do what makes you happy in the moment. Think about what YOU can do, not what others will do or have done, because that gives power to them. Be in control of your own life, and if you reach out the olive branch to somebody to make a truce or to be friendly and they don't accept it, that is their loss. You can go to sleep at night happy knowing that you did everything in YOUR power to make things right. Have no regrets, and God bless you!

[@_aerith]

wow, thanks. Your comment was truly beautiful. I've been trying to do that for a while now. I'm better, but there's still a lot to improve. Hope u have a beautiful life, full of happiness. Thank you again, for being so kind.

[@frogsnack7072]

vrgts1 My pleasure! And all you can do is put one foot in front of the other- so if you're working today to be better than you were yesterday (for your own self) it'll all be worth it. Thank you for the comment, I needed the encouragement today too. ^_^

[@mariadr7321]

And i thought going to school at 8am and leaving at 2pm was torture :p I still cant imagine going to school the whole day :o And being a wangda OMG no way in hell!

[@teachercarli]

Going through and watching any videos I may have missed and came across this one. I am so saddened by bullying, and I'm a US teacher. We have programs now to teach kids how to stop bullying, but we aren't evaluating if it is effective. If I had to "put up" with a bully [bullies] picking on one of my students because the administration didn't want to upset the bully's parents, I would die inside. Those poor kids. This is a worldwide issue though, and it destroys lives.

[@심재홍-j5s]

Bullying is now a hot topic in Korea and everybody now takes bullying as a serious matter of the society. There have been some audition program participants, for example, who were bullies in their school days, and they were criticized on the Internet which led them gave up keep audtioning. Until now bullying was something we were forced to hide just in order not to be isloated from the class as well, but now it is changing. The Korean people, hopefully, have begun to act against bullying, and the number of school counselors is gradually increasing.

[@NatWarrior1]

What if your a wang-dda and the most popular kid in the class walks up and talks to you? Will people now isolate those two kids or will more people join in?

[@lollmemmSm0keweed]

Nathan Chen Maaaan! that reminds me of our old alphamale stud classmate in school. He was the reason why my class had no trouble with bulling. There was a case when the whole class was picking on a guy. Dude simply just said to everyone "Fuck off" went up to the guy and started talking about "Return to castle wolfenstein". He was legit, I am telling you. The looks of Ryan Gosling with the attetude of the dude. I mean the alpha of the class makes or breaks the class relationship simply put. If your leader is someone who doesn't bother to keep things under control, but spends time looking pretty and talking to isolated group - man you'll see girls with long sleaves and boys who simply shut down with there eyes trying to drill a hole in a desk.

[@NatWarrior1]

Oh damn son

[@NatWarrior1]

***** I don't think "manhawa" is any better. And plus, manhua at least sounds similar to manwha, if that's the correct spelling.

[@NatWarrior1]

***** Alrighty then c:

[@melissaa7780]

+jenny crystal what's the movie called

[@utkua]

I never witnessed such bullying in Turkey. You take lunch money, you are sent to police station not headmaster's office. You fight in school grounds, they send you to disciplinary council which can ruin your entire life since it is just like having a criminal record. In Turkey when teacher enters to a classroom everybody stands up, it is about discipline, and giving teachers power, and yes teachers can even slap you, it is not used as a physical punishment, but more like a way to embarrass the kid in front of others which is way more effective.

[@DulcetOne]

Aynen öyle :D

[@shiron236]

I hope you actually realize that such disciplinary measures taken are the prime reason for bullying and suicides in South Korea, and that all these measures you've listed have been in place in South Korea for centuries now. Not to mention, we go much further in terms of discipline than Turkey does from what I hear from you. The problem is not discipline, if you do some research, but it's the inherent competitiveness in school that's all the more perpetuated by Korean culture. It's not just with grades but also with beauty and so forth which can result in some nastiness. At the same time, this also enables Koreans to have the best education system in the world that is tied with Finland while spending less on it per capita than Finland who has 1/10 the population South Korea does. What needs to be addressed here is the Korean culture. Discipline is the least of our concerns here. Koreans are a stubborn, proud, tough, and aggressive people. They may not be one for invading other countries, but they are known as the "Irish of East Asia" for a reason. They have their problems, but they've come a long way since the past fifty years as they're ranked second, just behind the United States, in terms of being the world's most innovative country by several organizations.

[@utkua]

Shiron I do not see how picking on the weak can be explained by competitiveness. By definition weak one is not a threat. That sounds more like a swarm culture which aims not to waste resources on the weak ones. Which normally is a result of bad case of nationalism, and not really a part of cultural DNA of Asia, but a Western idea resulted more destruction than anything else humanity have ever seen. I have a strong feeling like these "losers" are also threaded bad by the school and teachers, and they enable the bullies by calling that behavior like it has something to do with being proud or stubborn or even Korean sounds like the main problem here.

[@SilentReviewer]

Shiron 1. Competitiveness has nothing to do with bullying. Bullying is mainly because the way people are raised at home. 2. Korea is not 2nd in innovation. Where did Germany and Japan go? 3. Your answer style is part of Korea's problem. The mutant pride which made them ignore ethical and quality issues for the sake of scores in school and work.

[@TheExostan]

giving the teacher the power to slap you is the very same as what the bullies do to their fellow classmates with the exception that the bully is the teacher. yes i have been bullied by my teacher when i was in 1st and 2nd grade when i was only 6/7 and she was turkish. she would use her big ring on her finger to knock on my head and tell me there was no difference between my head and a stone brick. that is bullying. i grew to be a very shy and incofident person bcs of that. my head that she compared to a stone brick was capable enough to ace in any exams in med school.

[@MILOgirl1]

What's wrong with being an outcast (wang-dda)? I've been a loner in high school and I didn't give a fuck about the other students (after being used to it for quite a while). Seriously, think about it : school (high school) lasts only about 3 years, of course if you're a wang-dda for the first time you'll hate school and maybe hate life as well (cuz at that age the amount of friends you have is probably important to you), but after a while you realise you shouldn't give a single fuck anymore.

[@SooyoungFTW]

I'm 16, soon to be 17 actually... but close enough. Thinking like that does keep us going, since the bullies can't get to us if we know we're going to be fine while they get stuck in the gutter. It's really nice that you want to help... I personally love helping people too. It always helps knowing people care at least. So thank you ^^

[@porumi]

In my school or should I say in my country, parents would be ashamed to know that their son or daughter are bullies. So the victim has more of an advantage and they could just report it to the principle. Boom problem solved. U get suspended temporarily or permanently.

[@asdx88]

In the past, bullying was very uncommonly happening in Korea, but recently it became real problem. I am not talking as a person who was never been bullied. I'm 33yrs old, I wasn't always a quiet person but after I was bullied, I became a real quiet and started to get difficulty for making friends. I was bullied around my age of 8 since our class teacher(I still remember her name) blamed me on not been able to catch a ball. She said "That IDIOT!" in front of everybody and blamed me for 3 times, our class kids started to follow what the teacher said. Well since then, I was slightly bullied even after class changes after that year. Still, bullying wasn't that harish and firm (like a jail you can't ever go out) at that time when I was a kid, real bullying was very uncommon and people thought it happens in other place in the world. I became friends with my bullies and I am one of them's best friend. But since TV and cartoons showed kids how to bully other kids worldwide(usually in Japan), bullying became WORSE AND WORSE and there we STARTED have real bullying situation.

[@Pinkreaperxx]

You guys should start some small Anit-bullying campaign or something in Korea if possible; within your EYKimchi "logo/show". Since you guys are so well known there and I feel like a lot of people in Korea look up to you. ??

[@Someone111ify]

No, it doesn't need to do that. Because it is the only way either the victim moves to somewhere else or to kill him/herself.

[@organisedsomewhat3907]

I am an Korean and bullying does exist in Korea. This is my experience. I remember once when I was younger, I was walking to a convenience store (at my neighborhood) and two boys beating up another boy right on the street and at that age, I was completely terrified, but I have come to accept it.

[@veryslayverynice2526]

If everybody stood up to the bully then the victim wont be alone.And the bullies would be the ones who are isolated

[@sandrahugh6707]

If I was a teacher I would pretty much talk back to the mother. I would be like "WTF WOMEN WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU! ANOTHER STUDENT IS GETTING HURT BECAUSE OF YOUR SON/DAUGHTER!!!!!!! What happens if that girl/boy was yours? Wouldn't you be sad for your child?"

[@SailorMorgy28]

I clicked because of L.joe and Chunji♥

[@GuidoTuyizere]

i'm also a teen top fan

[@ladverde]

Me too....to you lol

[@kittysuki1996]

There are bullies every where.a bully I went to school with was always ignored by the teachers and when I went to college I had the same girl in one of my classes. She hadnt changed and when I started working she ended up with the same company and her bad behavior contined. She tried it with me but I set her straight but she wasnt anything but an office gossip. She eventually got fired!poetic justice!

[@Hazhazlou]

Well yeah bullying is everywhere, unfortunately. But this question about South Korea is common because of Korean dramas and movies that tend to show bullying. Like the bullying in Boys over Flowers, very shocking. Can't help but wonder if it's really like that in South Korea.

[@meesh11p]

This is really sad, and sounds rough if you're everyone's victim. :( And no guidance counselors?! Yikes...

[@starrynightfall00]

You guys are so smart *___* I'm glad you talked about this issue, it needs to be brought out into the light for any progress to occur not only in Korea but everywhere.

[@yeongrongbae7218]

In Korea, Wang-dda was so serious problem. a few years ago due to 'Wang-dda' that almost of his classmates are bullying a boy who is only 14years old, the boy jumped to his death from the rooftop of his apartment. this case was so shocking to the whole nation. after Wang-dda is considered as a serious social problem. Because they who are an assailant did not receive the attention and recognition from adults their attention towards to bad behavior like Wang-dda. i think a perfect solution that can solve this problem is not yet, it is necessary to have an attention in the idea or the students themselves rather than their grades.

[@ChibiChibiItachi]

I was bullied once and I told the counselor and she wound up making it a huge deal and she made it even worse by telling the parent's I had "accused and blamed" the bully of bullying me and other students. The bully was also in my carpool and their parents had never really liked me so their dad wound up calling my mom and insulting her and saying "she wasn't right for being a pediatrician because he let her own daughter be a bully" when all I had done was report the bullying.

[@codycrawford7842]

If a teacher stood up for a Wang-dda and even started to favor them in some ways, would this make the problem better or worse?

[@benda1007]

YEAH... it is probably the most serious problem in Korea... THIS IS THE MOST ACCURATE and AWESOME VIDEO of yours.. SO sad... when I came to Canada. all of that was like phooosh vanished and was soo happy ^^

[@sabrinax7756]

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't mind being a loner. I mean, there's headphones and music and other things to do for a reason!

[@lc7592]

I lived in Asia when I was little. Most of the bullies are in group of 1 big( or chubby) kid, and skinny( darker skin) boys who are thin but strong. When I was in school in Asia, I'm one of those classmates who everyone likes.and i was never left out. There were two girls who even fights to see who should be my best friend. But when I'm in school in America, people still say I'm friendly,smart,etc but they don't talk to me or be with me. Every time our class pairs up with partners, I was always left out. The teacher tried to ignore it until I ASKED them to help. When I help them with assignments, they would still ignore tomorrow. That happens every grade I went to.

[@rooturbomoth820]

I'll never figure out how Martina's hair is always perfect...

[@babydancer07]

This makes me sad :( I was bullied and an outcast from 7th grade to 11th grade before I changed schools. It was terrible; a bunch of girls tripped me on ice, I injured my tailbone and the worst part of it was that the principal saw all of it and did nothing!! My mom had even called the school several times informing them what was going on and the school did nothing!! My heart goes out to everyone that is or has been bullied.

[@TWQEmmaFrost]

Simon and Martina can you actually talk about suicide. I noticed you mention this in your bullying video. Is suicide only common with teenagers or adults as well? Can you explain more on the subject?

[@tsubasangel]

i would like to know more about this too...

[@sophmore90]

It's amazing how a simple thing like a hotline for bullying victims can make a huge difference in a students life.

[@StewieGriffin]

2 years ago when i was in korea my friends told me that this girl is a loner and the loner girl came up to me and told me if i wanted to date her i got scared because i dont want my friends to know about me hanging out with the loner

[@Haylem]

Stewie you went to Korea?

[@VanNguyen-mv7rn]

What did you say I'm on the edge of my seat man!!!

[@musingsofajay387]

Whats wrong with being with the loner. If you're with her, she's no longer a loner lol. I'm a loner and there aint nothing wrong with it.

[@1234kingconan]

You're afraid of being judged by your friends? And you consider them your friends? How weak of character and mind do you have to be to have such a way of looking at the world?

[@musingsofajay387]

1234kingconan hey it's peer pressure... he was a kiddo. kids cave easily to that stuff. Don't you go bullying him because he's weak. It doesn't help.

[@imalwayslateanyways]

Okay so I thought the last video was interesting but this one blew me away. I hope you guys cover more serious topics like this one. Thank you!

[@LL_-wf1tw]

So happy I wasn't born in Korea as I surely would end up as wang-dda. I used to be ostracised in primary school as I wasn't good at sports and a little chubby yet at least they talked with me. I guess the kids in Korea should have some empathy courses, maybe they just don't know how the wang-dda feel? I hope it will get better.

[@TheCharybdis23]

I actually plan on teaching in Korea once I finish college, but one of the things that bothers me is bullying, because I was bullied in grade school and this made me extremely protective of anyone I find in the same situation. I can only hope that I'd be able to handle the situation with tact rather than hauling off and punching someone in the face.

[@mylife-yq5ne]

Bullying is always there,anywhere,in all countries,school'workplace anywhere,rich,poor people doin that,,im 48 yrs old ,a nanny working in saudi arabia ,i always bullied by my co filipino co worker..

[@acasoimporta_2729]

😱😱😱

[@SooyoungFTW]

Thank you, it's nice to hear someone's on my side... Things like that keep me going, so you've already done something to help me ^^

[@alittleyehetandyohorat7365]

in Indonesia (espesially in Borneo) we use "bullying" as a joke and the victim who got bully also react it as a joke too. we are bullying each other and laughing together. XD

[@peachperfume3694]

then it's not bullying. It's just friends being silly to each other. Bullying is when you intentionally hurt someone you don't like emotionally and/or physically to make them disappear & to demonstrate your powers. REAL Bullying victims would never laugh with their bullies, but rather hate them.. If your victims laugh with you, that means you didn't really hurt them.. simple logic

[@alittleyehetandyohorat7365]

+Ah Yeon thanks for explanation:)

[@sharnaraesekielu5974]

This is really sad, i myself was a bullied victim and can soooo relate to these kids. Disappointed that teachers would pretend like nothing was wrong, this just makes the bullied feel like they not worth being stood up for and thus turn to suicide or cutting to dull the pain. I have never really got up to that stage and those might think me a hypocrite but i was very close to cutting but now i am a happy 16 year old with AWWSOME friends. I just recently told my family want happened 7years ago but i'm glad that its all out in the open, it affected my life afterwards (caused me to shut down and took awhile for to be able to make friends). To all those eonnis and oppas out there, not only in Korea and New Zealand FIGHTING

[@Animelover14241]

I'm glad I wasn't educted in a Korean school but Its not like British schools are much better, If you are being bullied or someone else is being bullied we just get told to ignore them and get on with our lives. 90% of the reason why I hate my school.

[@KirstieXoXo]

You guys are by far the best KZbinrs on KZbin!! At first I didn't really have any interest nor knowledge about South Korea at all but found you guys so hilarious and witty but at the same time really informative! After visiting Korea last year I plan on 'hopefully' teaching English there sometime in the future! :) So Thankyou, to be completely honest I would probably have absolutely no idea what to do with my life right now but you guys really inspired me :)

[@nabilaahmeidiati9095]

I was being bullied when I was in middle school because I was biracial, I have a pale skin, curly hair and Im friggin tall (that was considered weird, appereantly) . and this pretty much what happened, it stayed for a whole 3 years. its only about couple guy who bullied me at first but as the time flies EVERYONE did that, like, even someone who I didnt really know, called me by the hella nickname that the bullies gave me. . I think that what usually happens, people afraid if you 'befriend' with me they're going to be end up being bullied. Recess always a very miserable time for me as I have no one to be with but as the time goes by, I made few friends who too cool to care about being bullied if they were with me. But guess what? Since I have no one to hang out with, I spent my time mostly on studying. So yeah, I became the first rank in the entire bach, and get accepted to renowned school out of town and my life is completely better right now :) But I kinda miss being the center of attention tough lol ;)

[@MrBabylonandon]

Congrats on making Lemonade out of lemons ... that is a cool story. Keep fighting!!

[@198227tahiti]

Nabila Ahmeidiati Congratulations on doing so well academically! I am glad you had a few friends who were too cool to care about being bullied if they were with you

[@nabilaahmeidiati9095]

MrBabylonandon Thank you! Im so glad that someone actually read my comment haha!

[@nabilaahmeidiati9095]

198227tahiti Thank you! yes, I feel so blessed :) being bullied taught me that you dont need 1000 friends to be happy, instead one is enough as long its true ones :) and thanks again for reading my comment! xx

[@GoodMomBeauty]

That's a great step in the right direction. Kudos to them for speaking out. There needs to be more of it and more stars involved in actual campaigns and ads. I think it would be a wonderful thing.

[@stanstantalent.5605]

7am-11pm😲 thats kinda crazy, I would probably go insane if I stayed at school for the whole fricking day😐 lord have mercy!!

[@Ynrmzdcb]

+Bilal Abbas The average time to in the top 50% of students are end studying 12:30 and not 11 o'clock because the 학원 system ,,, ,shit im end school now this time is 10:00pm so when i go home ? no!!!!!! i go 학원 and study 1am ,, shit if you use google Translation for find mean 학원 it just Translation school but is not same real school we say 학교 ! ..

[@stanstantalent.5605]

+KS L that sounds harsh, thank God I live in murica😂

[@stanstantalent.5605]

+KS L it was the same for me when I used to live back in Pakistan, the education is hell there too.

[@ama-ms6rw]

+KS L oh my i was cring all my school life for having school 7.30 am to 1.30pm..

[@iheartshinee5]

In Australia, most primary school has this topic called 'bounce back', it actually teaches us how to cope with bullying.

[@lovelyxmai-mai]

Wang-dda sounds like what they do in the anime, Another. D:

[@sonya2669]

mei misaki.....

[@heyitsxalison]

That's amazing! I find that students constantly bullied often have stronger will power than bullies, as they have to constantly endure bullying throughout their school years. They might feel weak and powerless, but in actual fact, their strong endurance and will power actually makes them mentally stronger than the bullies, giving them an advantage in their working future :)

[@strawberryandpink]

I feel like this goes for like all southeastern??? Asia cuz it's pretty much the same in thailand I feel kids don't realize they are bullying, from personal experience. They don't have like guidance class or life lesson class about bullying not being okay. The Grade A students are mostly the bullies who bully the kids with bad grades problem etc. i was a bully and I really didn't know cuz nobody told me, teachers didn't care and I thought it was fine then I moved to U.S and I realize what a horrible thing I did and I regret it. Another thing this is from elementary school and I attend middle school in U.S so idk what happen so does anyone have the same experience????

[@heyitsxalison]

After all that bullying for more than 2 years, I'm currently doing my degree under Murdoch while those bullies are still wasting their lives away not furthering their studies. I've come across a few of their fb profiles due to mutual friends in secondary school, and a lot of them don't even have secondary school qualifications. Which is why, to those that are currently being bullied, don't worry. In the future, you're the one that's going to more successful in life compared to them.

[@l0rdbzz360]

poor wanga whatever ...well I'm a "don't give a fuck "person so if I was isolated I wouldn't care !

[@MC-hj8wv]

Isolated AND bullied. They're not just ignoring the kid, they're laughing at and insulting you, hiding your things, beating you up, or putting insects in your desk. By everyone, when you're with these people from 7am to 10 pm.

[@starrynightfall00]

I just read a horrible story of a boy who had been bullied in Korea. The bullies beat him, beat him with wood plank, tied an electric cord around his neck and leashed him like a dog. He never told his parents but he committed suicide and a girl in his grade committed suicide in the same year. As horrible as it is, i's not a Korea isolated problem but a global problem. So every one of us should stand up against bullying. How can you live with yourself if you knew stuff like that was going on?

[@blueberrysmilie1]

wow....call up both the students moms, and have them settle it LOL :)

[@JinTaoJun]

totally!!!

[@wrightmollie2890]

Bullying is a learned behaviour and usually starts at home. Their parents are mostly their role-model and the reason behind thier bullying. both parents and the bullies need professional help.

[@ilecphocc]

it's so nice that you guys not only talk about fun things but also social issues in korea! it's kind of weird that I learn more about korea from two canadians :P but I just like it :D

[@xsasukex]

I was wondering, do you guys still teach or did you find another job there... if so did you need a working visa?

[@Mf7d89]

no youtube is their full time job now

[@heyitsxalison]

I used to be bullied too, physically and mentally. The bullies were the ones that always skipped lessons etc. The year that i graduated, i was placed in the same class as a few of them as my grades from the previous year were very bad. But instead of letting them affect me, i concentrated on my studies in order to distract myself from them and it worked. I got first place in my cohort and graduated.

[@s01joner]

this upsets me SO SOO damn much, why the hell aren't the parents doing ANYTHING??? why aren't the victims getting the justice that they deserve?? why isn't anyone noticing this, and if they do, well SHIT don't fucking ignore it!! what Korea needs to fix ASAP is their insane stupid education system, school classes needs to be shorter, it's like their stripping away a kid's life, it's one of the reasons why they are getting abused every single god forsaken day.

[@betsyvega7227]

o.o i don't think fixing their education system is something you should be attacking. Its common in many Asian countries to have long school hours and school life is different for them. Even if they do get shorter days they would probably end up going to cram school anyway because if not they fall behind and its just the norm. Sometimes cram schools aren't even what it's made out to be in mangas and dramas too.The bullying though is a problem and again reputation seems to be a big factor and its sad. Does it have to do with their education system? Absolutely not. It is value in their culture but it can be misplaced as explained in this video. The severity of it is more apparent though when most of their childhood is spent at school. And let's face reality here; even with shorter school hours bullying still happens and there is no one to stop it from happening outside of school especially if it turns out that the child's parents also aren't the supportive all star parents that everyone expects every child to have. There are many factors to this problem and zoning in on one unrelated aspect is only derailing the path to solving the actual problem.

[@s01joner]

Apeiros Tamashi I see your point and I kinda overreacted in that comment ._. I still believe that shorter hours of school would help greatly, their educational system may NOT be the main factor as to why students bully and abuse each other, but it certainly contributes to it. It would help if the bully victims had time for their selves outside of school, where the students and even some of the teachers have this "social hierarchy" and ignore abuse. I wished someone would do something about this, I live in the USA and yes bullying DOES happen and it's not as severe as it is there (at least in my school), but at least I notice people standing up for others, even if they aren't ones they are friends with.

[@betsyvega7227]

Aeris Jise its ok. but i really would like to see bullying addressed in a more efficient manner. Even in the US or any other country its hard to do anything because there are so many aspects. Even though we have posters and talks about it, it turns out being like those drug free campaigns; people still end up doing it later in their life and it sucks. You could even go deeper and say its a sociological or human issue where throughout history there's always been that scapegoat somehow, somewhere. It's a really hard issue. :(

[@s01joner]

Apeiros Tamashi I agree and I never even thought of it as a sociological issue.. although I don't understand why it happens, but I guess humans are just like that.

[@betsyvega7227]

Aeris Jise yeah fortunately not all humans are like that. i helped my friend when she was being bullied and it really helped her to have a support system. the sad thing is that it seems Korea has a very collective way of thinking. Where in the US everyone is very individualistic and standing up for yourself or having other people that do is not a rare thing. In Korea their culture is different and it doesn't allow for much movement when it comes to these types of things. At least they are recognizing it as an issue and the first step is always realizing that there is a problem :) hopefully Korean students will see better days in a couple of years.

[@rbcvlogs7291]

I feel so bad for the people who become isolated.I had that done to me today because I'm a new student in a school where everyone knows each other for over 3 years and I tend to be really shy and quiet.It was absolute hell and I can't imagine what it must be like for them to experience that every day :'(

[@sillyshai123]

Just like the Anime 'Another' Lol Love those kinds of animes :3

[@joveegillen6966]

+Mak Soon Bok I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT THAT OMG

[@sillyshai123]

Jovee Gillen YOU ARE NEVER ALONE :D

[@napoleonbonapart6958]

mei misaki

[@kittenwithagun]

I had a wangtta experience most of my time in elementary school in the US, and partially in middle school as well. When I'd go to the counselors to report the bullying, they would either ignore me or threaten me by saying that if I ever retaliated against the bullying, I'd be kicked out of school. Yet they never did anything to the bullies until my 8th grade year when they filled expelled one student, and the rest of the class REALLY hated me for reporting him. It's a problem in America, too.

[@paulinalobato3133]

"Why are you trying to ruin my son's reputation?!" Honor-shame culture, man... The bad person is the person shaming, not the person doing wrong. Same thing in Cambodia.

[@courtneyhorny261]

+Paulina Lobato FUCKING KOREAN AINT LIKING EM ANYMORE

[@Deana.Lopez2]

This really made my heart hurt. I'm pretty sure everyone has had some form of bulling and if u have I'm sorry it happened. I seriously do not know why bullying is a choice anyone wants to chose. If someone dies because of you, that blood is on ur hands for the rest of your life. Stop bullying and for those who see it and don't do anything, your making it worse.

[@smegan10]

I'm in college, but when I was in high school i can relate to this because I graduated from high school last May ( I live in Tennessee by the way ). During high school I was so bad bullied. If a new kid showed up at the school I went to they would join in with the other kids and bully me along with them and they would say mean nasty things, but there was never really any isolation problems in my school unless you just kept to yourself. It really makes me think I had it easy compared to students in South Korea.

[@_yuka_3836]

I guess korea's bulling is pretty similar to bulling in Japan. I'm Japanese and I've been bullied before like 2times. And the first time I was bullied by this girl that I was really good friends with and we used to go to school together with other people too. Then one day she started to ignore me and she was friends with mostly every girl in the grade so they ignored me too. Also, other then ignoring she would say really mean things to me like when she walked past to me she'd say "Your so weird!" "No one likes you!" "Loner!!" but, I couldn't tell my parents since I was scared that she would do more mean things and I didn't want to concern them. But after that she kept on bulling other people and she became alone. but since she didn't want to be alone she became friends with other people that were alone. And I hate my self for thinking this but I wish that she didn't make friends and when she has no one, she'll realize what a horrible person she was.

[@Queenfurtilax14]

That's harsh. Bullying can change someone's life so negatively; mentally; physically; emotionally scarring them for the rest of their life. In all honesty, I believe the well-being of students and their mental and physical health should be put before their "reputation" or "grades" or whatever.

[@DPlover1]

I think that that kind of situation between bullies and victims and teachers in Korea (at least from Simon and Martina's experience) is quite sad. I've been bullied too, but nothing as bad as that. I certainly hope that Korea starts to taking more action towards fixing this problem :(

[@forums]

Bullying is not only happening in Korea it was happening anywhere. I'm just really concern to the students almost staying in school with long hours. I saw in CNN about South Korea in a high risk suicide country that mostly affective the high school students and I was really shocked, if you failed in College entrance, it really a big issues to the student and this will start for depression until goes to suicide. I hope their government has concern to this student, this is not ordinary problem.

[@ElmosSmile24]

I like that you guys seem so passionate about every subject matter you touch on in these segments. :)

[@WhitestWaters]

That is so sad. I feel that if one person decided to stand up for the other student, it would be easier to deal with.

[@xXChronosKittyXx]

I personally think the main problem is the fact that they never change classmates, I was bullied when I was younger in one class and I used to look forward to the next class because it was always quieter.With that Korean set up there's no escaping it, and because the days are so long bullies get agitated and unfocused and the bullying becomes relentless. They really need to change the hours and the amount of time spent with the same group of people.

[@peachmilkteas]

I thought about Boys Over Flowers when you mentioned how students can target personal belongings and how they are in school for so long. Hearing all of this makes me really sad, I was bullied as a kid and I grew very shy and withdrawn. It definitely affected my learning, as I developed social anxiety.

[@misterkiller89]

I'm Korean American, and it makes me really sadden by this state of Korea itself.

[@yunicandy]

Thank you so much for touching upon this subject. There is so much that needs to change in the Korean Education System...

[@MsYunnieho]

Even parents and principals condone bullying, no wonder its so prevalent in Korea. The bullies are not being stopped, they need to get their morals straight

[@SlavnayaZvezda]

So true. Once a person gets bullied in school, he/she can't just get out by his/her own. Quite often this situation ends up with suicide, or some bloody vendettas on the opposite.

[@MissAseel10]

I live in an Arab country and school hours are pretty bearable around here compared to S.Korea. School starts at 8 am and ends at 1:15 pm.