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Drowned student was not bullied by older schoolmate, police say

Published: 04 Nov. 2025, 18:08

A search team from the National 119 Rescue Headquarters retrieves a body found around 9 a.m. on Oct. 17 near Dongmak Bridge over the Jungnang Stream in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi. [GYEONGGI-DO NORTHERN FIRE SERVICES]

A middle school student who was found dead last month after going missing in Jungnang Stream in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, did not die as a result of bullying, police said Tuesday.

Police said they plan to close the case as an accidental death, finding no signs of foul play or criminal behavior related to bullying.

The first-year middle school student went missing on Oct. 13 after entering the stream near a stepping stone crossing in Uijeongbu-dong with two friends. The first-year student and one of the friends were swept away by rapid currents around 5:35 p.m.

The friend was rescued, but the first-year student went missing. Authorities discovered the missing student's body on Oct. 17 near Uijeongbu's Dongmak Bridge after mobilizing around 300 personnel daily for search operations.

The incident drew increased scrutiny after a report surfaced days earlier alleging that a senior student had previously bullied the missing student and others at the exact location. Witnesses said the senior had threatened or physically intimidated younger students.

But police said they found no link between the bullying report and the student’s death. Investigators interviewed the two classmates who were present at the time of the incident. They testified that they had entered the water to play, and that the senior student had neither instructed nor pressured them to do so.

Police also conducted forensic analysis on the students’ mobile phones and interviewed other acquaintances, but uncovered no evidence that the older student ordered anyone to enter the stream.

“There was no indication that the student was pushed into the water or entered due to coercion by the senior,” a police official said. “They were close and often hung out together four to five times a week to play video games.”

Police added that they are continuing a separate investigation into the senior student's bullying allegations.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEON ICK-JIN [[email protected]]