Busan Office of Education Actively Supports School Violence Conflict Mediation and Relationship Restoration

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education has launched the ‘Busan School Violence Restoration Support Group’ to restore the educational function of schools through conflict mediation in school violence and the restoration of relationships between victim and perpetrator students.

This support group operates to create a foundation for educational resolution of students' conflict issues together with the community, including eliciting genuine recovery for victim students and voluntary reflection on perpetrator behavior.

The support group consists of 50 relationship restoration experts, including retired teachers, professional counselors, and community teachers, with an appointment period of one year from March 2023 to February 2024.

The Office of Education selected the support group through a public announcement conducted from January 26, 2023, and the group is composed of individuals holding counseling-related certifications and those with more than two years of experience in youth counseling and guidance-related work.

Busan Office of Education.

The support group directly visits school sites to provide counseling and relationship restoration for students and parents, and supports administrative tasks such as case handling manuals for teachers.

Upon school request, the group also supports relationship restoration programs based on the consent of both victim and perpetrator students in school violence cases, as well as customized counseling programs for students and parents.

To strengthen the capabilities of the support group, Busan Office of Education will operate a practice-centered ‘Conflict Mediation Expert Training Course’ from the 7th to the 10th, covering topics such as communication skills, conflict analysis, mediation processes, and mediation practice.

Kim Beom-gyu, Director of Character Education, Physical Education, and School Meals at the Busan Office of Education, stated, “Most school violence occurs due to lack of communication and dialogue, and insufficient relationship building. Our Office of Education will actively support the psychological and emotional stability of victim and perpetrator students and the stable restoration of peer relationships through the operation of the support group and various policies.”