An eight-year-old girl was fatally stabbed by her teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon, South Korea, in an incident that has sent shockwaves through the country.
According to police reports, a female teacher in her 40s admitted to the stabbing. The student was discovered with stab wounds on the school building’s second floor at 6:00 PM local time on Monday. The teacher was found nearby with what investigators believe to be self-inflicted wounds.
During a Tuesday police briefing, Yook Jong-Myung, head of the Daejeon Western Police Station, confirmed the teacher was receiving medical treatment for a sutured neck wound. The Daejeon education office revealed that the teacher had previously requested a six-month leave citing depression on December 9. However, she returned to work after just 20 days following a medical clearance.
Investigation details indicate the teacher experienced suicidal thoughts during her leave period. Days before the incident, she displayed concerning behavior, including physically confronting another teacher. Education officials visited the school Monday morning to investigate this prior altercation.
Following the confrontation with her colleague, administrators recommended leave and physical separation from the other teacher. As a precautionary measure, she was relocated to sit near the vice principal’s desk for monitoring. Since December, she had not been assigned teaching duties and had no direct contact with the victim.
Police testimony revealed the teacher purchased a weapon the day of the attack, bringing it to school with the intention of taking both her own life and that of a student. She stated she had no specific target, choosing the last remaining child, whom she led to the media room before the attack.
The absence was discovered when a bus driver reported the student hadn’t arrived for pickup that evening.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered an immediate investigation on Tuesday, emphasizing the need for preventive measures against similar incidents. “It pains me to see such incidents because a school should be our safest space,” Choi stated, expressing condolences to the victim’s family.
Community members placed flowers and a stuffed doll at the school gates, which remained closed Tuesday. While South Korea maintains a reputation for safety and strict gun control, recent years have seen several notable violent incidents, particularly involving stabbings.
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