The Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding prison sentences for two middle school students who bullied their friend until he killed himself is seen as a judicial message to toughen its stance against school violence.

Sentencing them to prison terms, a lower court said it would be “too tolerant to subject them to measures other than criminal punishment for their acts, which are unthinkable between friends.”

Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae suggested in May the judiciary would be stern in handling cases of school violence, which he said should be eliminated for the better future of the country.

The Supreme Court’s ruling is also expected to lead prosecutors to harden their way of dealing with young students accused of bullying their friends.

It is regrettable that minors are being sent to prison, but tougher judicial measures seem to be necessary to send a strong warning against school violence.

In Daegu alone, eight students have killed themselves since December.

According to a study released early this year, nearly half of students suffered from school violence during the past year.

For the first five months of this year, 14,118 cases of school violence were reported through a hotline that can be accessed from across the country with the same number and keeps the identity of callers secret.

Many students punished for bullying their friends say they only did it for fun.

It is hoped that tougher judiciary measures could lead students to realize that what they do for fun might be subject to criminal punishment. Students should be made to be aware that they will be held responsible for such wrongful activities.

In order to increase the warning effect of the recent court ruling, teachers are required to give a full explanation to their students about its meaning.

In addition to hardening judicial measures, comprehensive measures should be worked out and implemented in a consistent way to reduce school violence.

Such efforts are now needed more urgently to prevent school students from living the rest of their lives with criminal records for bullying their friends. They should learn that they could be the victim of their own acts.

More attention should be paid to how to educate students to help them grow to be good citizens.

Teachers’ authority, which has dwindled alongside an apparent overemphasis on students’ rights, need to be strengthened again.

When it comes to personality and character, schools may not be primarily responsible, with home having to be the major place for learning how to behave responsibly. Before passing the blame to teachers, parents should question themselves whether they have carried out their duties.