The police began analyzing the results of the Education Ministry’s school violence survey and plan to open investigations where necessary.

According to the Korean National Police Agency, the ministry’s survey of all 5.58 million students was completed on Sunday. The police have completed analyzing 120,000 surveys.

So far 3.6 percent of the students answered that they had been exposed to school violence to varying degrees, the police said.

The police said they plan to open investigations regarding students’ answers that include detailed information about victims, perpetrators, locations and times of incidents and what transpired.

If the incidents described are deemed serious, the police plan to immediately take steps. In such cases, the police said that the victims and the perpetrators will immediately be segregated. Then officers will make contact with the former on a daily basis to monitor the situation.

In addition, the police plan on taking preventative measures such as installing surveillance cameras and increasing patrols in locations that are pointed to by students as being prone to school violence.

Where details have been omitted and in less serious incidents such as students fighting among themselves, the police plan to work with concerned schools to draw up preventative measures.

The police, however, believe further information is required to conduct investigations as the completed surveys only reveal the names of the respondents’ schools.

As such, the police agency is considering using text messages and smartphone messenger applications, and conducting on-site reviews of high risk schools.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)