SBS News

News > Society

Investigation Launched After Elementary Student Attempts Suicide During Lunch Break

Yoo Younggyu

Published : Aug 12, 2026 4:34 PM


▲ Seogwipo Police Station in Jeju

Following an incident involving an elementary school student attempting to jump from a building in Jeju, the Seogwipo Police Station has accepted a complaint filed by the student's parents and launched an investigation into school officials in charge of related duties.

According to police on August 12, the parents of the victim, an elementary school student identified as A, filed a criminal complaint last June against three school officials from the 2025 school year—the former principal, former vice principal, and the staff member in charge of school violence prevention—charging them with dereliction of duty, creation and uttering of false official documents, and violation of the Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures against School Violence.

Police are currently reviewing relevant materials and plan to summon the accused individuals in the near future to investigate the circumstances of the incident and the school's response.

On November 28, 2025, during lunchtime at the elementary school, student A, then in the fifth grade, attempted to jump before a classmate intervened and narrowly saved her life.

While student A's family, who moved to Jeju from abroad, claims that she suffered from bullying at school leading up to the suicide attempt, it was revealed that the Jeju Office of Education and other related entities had no records regarding the incident, drawing criticism that the relevant authorities' protective measures for students were inadequate.

(File Photo: Yonhap News)