Latest news with #KimHa-neul
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.
South China Morning Post
21-02-2025
- South China Morning Post
South Korean teacher accused of killing 7-year-old reportedly laughed in hospital
A South Korean teacher who allegedly stabbed a seven-year-old pupil to death had laughed while she was being treated in hospital for self-inflicted wounds after the horrific incident, according to local media. Korean-language daily Hankook Ilbo reported on Thursday that the suspect, surnamed Myeong, 48, received emergency treatment on the evening of February 10 and had laughed out loud, causing confusion among medical staff who at the time did not know about the stabbing. Myeong was suspected of attempting to take her life by slashing her own neck after killing Kim Ha-neul, a seven-year-old first-grader, at their elementary school in the city of Daejeon. The motive for the stabbing remains unclear as police have been unable to interrogate the suspect due to her health condition. Myeong reportedly admitted to the crime 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.' South Korean President Choi Sang-mok offers a silent prayer in front of an altar for Kim Ha-neul at a hospital in Daejeon, South Korea, on February 12. Photo: EPA-EFE Kim's death is being treated as a national tragedy. Acting President Choi Sang-mok attended her funeral on Wednesday to console Kim's family, with suspended president Yoon Suk-yeol sending his condolences through lawyers.
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.
Korea Herald
13-02-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Improve safety in schools
Korea needs strong, preventive safety measures for both students and teachers Schools are supposed to be the safest place to be for both students and teachers. But the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old student by a teacher has put that assumption in question in a way that has shocked, terrified and weighed heavily on people across the nation. Kim Ha-neul was stabbed to death by a teacher in her 40s at an elementary school in Daejeon on Monday. Police said the child died from multiple wounds from a sharp weapon, citing autopsy results from the National Forensic Service. According to police, the suspect said she has received treatment for depression since 2018. She was on six months of leave that began in early December due to her condition, but came back to work at the school after less than a month, sparking questions about her sudden return and doctor's changed view of her condition. The record of her medical disorder is now at the center of heated disputes, with questions swirling about why the school failed to take proper steps to prevent the tragic incident despite warning signs. The suspect had reportedly assaulted a colleague at the school just days before the stabbing, but education authorities did not take effective measures. As parents and students express fears and concerns about safety at school, the government on Wednesday announced it would seek to revise a law to place teachers with mental disorders on compulsory leave. Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said that the amendment, tentatively named the 'Ha-neul law' after the late student, would allow education authorities to consider ordering compulsory leave for school teachers having difficulty carrying out their duties due to mental disorders. The government's move came after both the ruling and opposition political parties called for the introduction of a law to ensure that such a tragic incident does not happen again. But there is also a voice that demands authorities identify the exact cause of the incident and expresses worries about misguided and negative overgeneralization concerning mental disorders. Critics argue that the Daejeon murder case highlights the need of consideration for the mental health of teachers. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, the number of primary school teachers who sought medical treatment for depression or anxiety rose from 4,819 in 2020 to 9,468 in 2023 -- nearly doubling in just three years. A similar trend is evident for secondary schools, where the figure climbed from 4,449 to 7,335 over the same period. While multiple factors likely contribute to this worrisome trend, the grave implications for classroom safety are becoming ever more evident. Stress from interactions with parents, students and other external pressures appears to be exacerbating the problem. However, support programs remain inadequate. But it is dangerous to assume that teacher violence comes solely from depression. The Korean Medical Association issued a statement Thursday arguing that it is premature to make a conclusion on the causes of the incident and noted that multiple studies on individuals with depression have found no statistically significant difference in the rate of serious crimes compared to those without the condition. Overgeneralizing risks reinforcing stigmas surrounding mental illness. This is especially so in a nation where people tend to hide their mental illnesses for fear of being alienated and put at a disadvantage in the workplace. It would be wrong to assume that all teachers with depression have reached a dangerous threshold. However, when warning signs emerge as in the case of the Daejeon case, preventive measures must be taken without delay to avert potential tragedies. The loss of a young student's life -- particularly at the hands of a teacher, within the supposed safety of a school -- must not be allowed to recur.
Korea Herald
13-02-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
'Depression cannot cause aggression in individuals': experts
Psychiatry professors, psychiatrists say Monday's stabbing appears to be power-assertive murder, not suspect's depression Following revelations that the suspect in the recent fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old elementary student had been diagnosed with depression, controversy has risen among some South Koreans as to whether her mental health condition can be linked to her crime. On Monday, a female teacher in her 40s stabbed first grader Kim Ha-neul at an elementary school in Daejeon as Kim was leaving an after-school session. According to the police, the teacher was diagnosed with depression in 2018 and had filed for six months of leave for mental health reasons on Dec. 9 last year. Some local media reported on posts made on online communities, including comments such as, 'Should people with depression even be allowed to work in schools,' 'Having depression isn't bad, but working with children with it doesn't seem right' and 'How did she even think about returning to work even with a mental health issue?' However, psychiatry experts pointed out that depression is a mental illness that 'holds a very low risk of causing harm to others,' noting that individuals with depression 'normally don't exhibit that kind of behavior.' 'It's difficult to conclude that this case resulted from the perpetrator's mental health condition,' professor Lee Byung-chul from Hallym University's Department of Neurology told The Korea Herald. 'Normally, individuals with depression show aggression for reasons such as self-defense. (Monday's incident) is not one of such cases, as signs of aggression are never linked with mental health conditions like depression.' Kim Dong-wook, president of the Korean Association of Psychiatrists, also told The Korea Herald that it's 'difficult to determine a causal relationship between Monday's tragic incident' and the perpetrator's depression. 'Based on media reports so far, it's difficult to say that depression is the sole cause behind the perpetrator's behavior,' Kim added. 'Even if (the perpetrator) is schizophrenic like some observers have suggested, it still doesn't explain the perpetrator's behavior, as schizophrenic patients normally show violent tendencies to protect themselves due to delusions, not to just attack others.' Professor Bae Sang-hoon from Woosuk University's Department of Police Administration, who has experience in criminal profiling, shared with The Korea Herald that the teacher's behavior doesn't seem to stem from her mental illness. Rather, he said it appears to be a form of 'power-assertive murder,' a type of killing where the perpetrator chooses a target that is weaker than them to exert control or dominance. 'Regardless of what the teacher has been diagnosed with, it seems to be a form of premeditated crime that had nothing to do with her mental illness,' Bae added. 'Based on how the teacher purposely chose to attack a student and how (the perpetrator) purchased a knife in advance before carrying out the crime, it's hard to deem that her mental illness is something that excuses her actions.'
