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Korea Herald
10-03-2025
- Korea Herald
Police to decide on disclosing teacher's identity in Daejeon elementary school murder case
Authorities were set to determine as early as Monday whether to disclose the identity of a 48-year-old teacher surnamed Myung, who is accused of murdering an 8-year-old student at an elementary school in Daejeon. The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said it is expected to hold a deliberation committee either on Monday or Tuesday to review whether to release the suspect's personal details, including her name, age and photograph. Under South Korean law, law enforcement officials may disclose the personal details of a suspect, including their face, age and name, if the crime is deemed particularly heinous and the public interest is served by doing so. If the committee rules in favor of disclosure, Myung's identity will be made public after a mandatory five-day waiting period. The committee is to consist of up to 10 members, at least four of whom are external experts, such as medical professionals or professors associated with policing, as well as lawyers. Myung was arrested on Saturday, 26 days after the crime took place. A local court issued an arrest warrant citing the suspect's flight risk, though Myung refused to appear in court for the warrant hearing. Investigators believe that Myung purchased a knife from a nearby store on the day of the crime, then lured the victim, an 8-year-old girl named Kim Ha-neul, into an audiovisual classroom by offering her a book before stabbing her to death. Police report that Myung said she committed the act after feeling upset about being barred from teaching by the school's vice principal following incidents of property damage and disputes with fellow teachers. After the crime, Myung attempted self-harm and was hospitalized for nearly a month before being transferred to police custody on Friday, where she underwent seven hours of interrogation before being placed in a detention facility. Authorities are expected to wrap up their investigation and formally refer the case to prosecutors later this week. "Myung calmly answered questions during the face-to-face investigation and admitted to most of the crimes," said a police official, adding that they plan to conclude the investigation by referring to a criminal behavior analysis conducted by profilers.
Korea Herald
20-02-2025
- Korea Herald
Teacher who killed 7-year-old 'laughed in ER': report
The elementary school teacher accused of stabbing a first grader to death had laughed while receiving emergency medical treatment after the incident, a local media outlet reported Wednesday. The suspect surnamed Myeong, 48, was brought to the emergency room of a university hospital in Daejeon at around 6:43 p.m. on Feb. 10, after Kim Ha-neul, 7, was found with fatal wounds at their elementary school. Myeong had also inflicted wounds on her own neck with the knife she apparently had used to stab the girl. According to Korean-language daily Hankook Ilbo, Myeong had laughed out loud while receiving treatment, causing confusion among the medical staff, who had no knowledge of her identity and thought they were just treating a stab wound patient. It said the hospital told the staff to keep quiet regarding Myeong's behavior. This occurred less than 10 minutes after the girl was ultimately pronounced dead at a local hospital, although it is unlikely the suspect knew of this fact at the time. It is unclear why exactly the suspect laughed after the heinous attack, as police have been unable to conduct a formal interview with her due to her health issues. She had received emergency surgery after the attack and her blood pressure spiked during a previous interview attempt with the officials, such that she had to put on an oxygen mask. Myeong admitted her crime right before getting surgery, saying, "It didn't matter which kid it was. I was going to kill myself and the child who was the last to go home." The attack is believed to have occurred at between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the school, with the suspect saying she lured the child by offering to give her a book. Officials of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency handling the case have said that Myeong searched records of past murders and information about weaponry prior to the attack, leading them to believe the attack had been premediated. It has been reported in local media that she had suffered from depression since 2018, and had used approximately 188 days of sick or medical leave since 2021. She had applied for six months of leave on Dec. 9 but returned to work on Dec. 30. The child victim's identity was revealed by her family as Kim Ha-neul, born Oct. 22, 2017. Her father said the decision was made in the hope that there will never be another such tragedy.
