As school violence has emerged as a serious social problem, Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) is attracting attention by deciding to substantially strengthen character evaluation in the Admissions Officer Screening for the 2013 academic year.

JBNU announced that it plans to strengthen applicants' character evaluation in the Admissions Officer Screening for the 2013 academic year to address the school violence problem, which has recently emerged as a serious social issue, and to select students of sound character.

JBNU plans to actively reflect applicants' character in evaluations starting with the 2013 Admissions Officer Screening in connection with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korean Council for University Education requiring, since last March, that High School Student Records document character development by core elements. This will allow students who have worked to prevent and eradicate school violence to receive more favorable evaluations.

To this end, JBNU plans to add a common character assessment item to the personal statement form used in the first stage of the Admissions Officer Screening. Applicants will be asked to provide examples of practicing these behaviors during school and to describe what they learned and felt through those experiences in their personal statement.

In addition, the university will adopt entries related to school violence in the High School Student Record as mandatory evaluation items during the first-stage evaluation of the Admissions Officer Screening.

In the second-stage in-depth interview, JBNU will question applicants about character elements recorded in their High School Student Record and personal statement. Applicants whose High School Student Record contains disciplinary entries related to school violence will undergo a separate additional interview.

Park Jong-min, Vice-President of the Office of Admission, said, "This measure can also be interpreted to mean that students who do not remain bystanders in situations of school violence but actively work to prevent and resolve it may receive positive evaluations," and added, "The strengthened character evaluation measures will be detailed after review by JBNU's Selection Committee and announced on the Admissions Officer Screening website and in the Admissions Guide for Early Admission, which will be published around mid-July."