SEOUL (ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – Authorities probing an incident involving a teacher fatally stabbing an 8-year-old girl at a Daejeon elementary school reported on Tuesday that the teacher’s assault was predetermined but was not aimed at anyone specific, revealing her admission that she randomly picked the final student exiting the school.
Police report that the assault happened Monday within a storage area linked to the audiovisual room located on the second floor of the school. The victim, known as Kim Ha-neul, was discovered with multiple stab wounds on her face and shoulders.
The suspect, a female teacher in her 40s, was also discovered with injuries to her neck and hands that she caused by herself. Emergency personnel took both individuals to a nearby hospital, but the child died from excessive blood loss, whereas the teacher survived and is currently undergoing treatment.
Daejeon police reported that the suspect claimed that she has been undergoing treatment for depression since 2018 and that she felt “annoyed” after returning to school from a leave, as the vice principal denied her request to teach. The teacher requested a six-month leave of absence on December 9, 2024 and resumed work after 22 days on December 31.
The suspect claimed she bought a knife at a local market on the day in question.
“I didn’t care who. To die together, (I chose) the last student to leave the after-school program. I told (the student) that I had a book to give her and lured the student into the audiovisual room. Then I choked and stabbed (her).”
The individual is said to have opened the typically locked audiovisual room and bided time for the final student to exit the adjacent classroom.
The parents of the child grew concerned around 4:50 p.m. Monday when their daughter failed to arrive to meet a bus driver from her private school as planned. The first grader was registered in the school’s after-school program. The after-school instructor informed the driver that the pupil had already exited the classroom. When the student did not show up after 10 minutes, the driver reached out to the teacher, leading officials to grasp that the child was missing.
The heartbreaking event sent shock waves throughout South Korea, prompting immediate concerns regarding school safety, the psychological well-being of teachers and the education system’s capacity to avert such acts of violence.
The incident also ignited criticism regarding the safety and oversight of the government’s after-school initiative, which requires after-school teachers to personally take students to their parents or designated guardians, however, a Daejeon education office official has mentioned that after-school dismissal systems vary by school.
Criticism arises over the failure to address the teacher’s mental health issues, prompting calls for better oversight and support for educators.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok offered condolences to the victim’s family and instructed the Ministry of Education to carry out a comprehensive investigation. “Schools must be the safest place for children. This heartbreaking tragedy must never happen again,” Choi said.
In the meantime, authorities have initiated a thorough investigation into the reasons for the assault. A warrant for arrest is anticipated to be issued when the teacher is released from the hospital.
The parents of the victim are seeking accountability and are questioning how a teacher with a past of mental illness and violent conduct was permitted to return to a school setting.
Parents throughout Korea have voiced their fears and anger, claiming their confidence in school safety has been broken.
