Over 200,000 accidents occurred at schools across the country last year, according to Ministry of Education data released Sunday, marking a 9.6 percent increase compared to the previous year.
According to a report compiled by Rep. Sun-mi of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 200,592 accidents occurred throughout 2024, up from 183,093 in 2023. It marked nearly a fivefold increase from 40,382 in 2020.
In terms of severe accidents, referring to ones leading to crippling injury or death, 101 cases took place in 2024. The figure hit 102 in 2020, then stayed below the 100-mark for the subsequent three years: 87 in 2021, 79 in 2022, and 99 in 2023.
The accidents occurred most frequently in physical education class, with 75,475 cases, or 37.6 percent of total accidents. Another 35,686 happened during recess, 31,178 during lunch time, and 22,106 during non-PE classes.
Gyeonggi Province, the most populous region in the country with over 13 million residents, accounted for 33.1 percent of all accidents with 66,465, followed by 31,469 in Seoul, and 12,930 in South Gyeongsang Province.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
