Father of fatally stabbed 7-year-old accuses suspect of 'premeditated murder,' calls for legal measures to prevent recurrences

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Father of fatally stabbed 7-year-old accuses suspect of 'premeditated murder,' calls for legal measures to prevent recurrences

Published: 12 Feb. 2025, 19:13 Updated: 13 Feb. 2025, 16:03

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Father whose daughter was stabbed to death sits down and stares at a picture of his daughter, identified as Kim Ha-neul, during a funeral service held in Daejeon on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]

The father of a 7-year-old girl who was fatally stabbed allegedly by a teacher at school accused the suspect of "premeditated murder" on Wednesday, allowing an autopsy to disclose his daughter's cause of death and build a case for harsher punishment.

The National Forensic Service on Wednesday revealed that the young victim — identified as Kim Ha-neul — died because of multiple injuries inflicted by a sharp weapon.

Kim, 38, the father of the victim, said the assailant seemingly "premeditated the murder, considering that she prepared the weapon in advance" at a press conference during his daughter's funeral in Daejeon.

Surveillance camera footage obtained by the Korean newspaper DongA Ilbo shows the suspect purchasing a knife with a 16-centimeter-long blade at a store 2.2 kilometers (1.36 miles) from the school during work hours around three hours before the murder.

On Monday, first-grader Kim Ha-neul was found with stab wounds at an elementary school in Seo District in Daejeon after her parents reported her missing. She was later pronounced dead. A 48-year-old teacher found lying next to the child with knife-inflicted wounds later admitted to the crime.

During the press conference, Kim's father noted that the offender might defend herself by claiming she had a mental illness when she committed the assault. The teacher said she had received medical treatment for depression since 2018, according to police.

Visitors express their condolences on Feb.12 at a memorial altar at an elementary school in Daejeon where a 7-year-old girl was stabbed to death earlier this week. [NEWS1]

Kim's father also raised the possibility that the teacher harmed herself after she was caught as she appeared fine when she faced Kim’s grandmother -— who was searching for the missing child —- in an audiovisual room at the school where she saw the victim on the floor. The teacher allegedly locked the doors after the grandmother left the room to report the location of her grandchild.

“If it weren’t Ha-neul, other young students could have been victims,” the father said, adding that no more children should experience what his daughter suffered. “He-neul’s water bottle and bag with blood stains will remain an indelible trauma.”

Kim's father also sought parliamentary help in legislating a bill that separates children from teachers with mental disorders. He asked leaders of both ruling and opposition parties "to visit the funeral and pledge to pass the legislation after hearing why it's necessary from the bereaved family.”

Kwon Young-se, interim leader of the conservative People Power Party, and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal Democratic Party, reportedly planned to visit the funeral later in the day.

Acting President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, left, pays a condolence visit at the funeral for a 7-year-old victim who was allegedly stabbed by a schoolteacher in Daejeon on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]

Acting President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok visited the funeral and paid his condolences on Wednesday afternoon.

Choi visited the funeral after hearing that the bereaved parents had released the victim's name and photo to generate social attention and prevent similar killings, according to a Finance Ministry official.

The government on Wednesday said it would undertake legal revisions to directly suspend teachers who are unable to educate their students due to mental illness.

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said his ministry and education offices would prepare fundamental measures to prevent similar incidents during a meeting with education superintendents in Seoul.

"The government will push for a legal amendment so that the government can suspend teachers who cannot fulfill their duties due to mental disorders," Lee said. The minister also noted that the government would devise a measure enabling it to intervene promptly when teachers demonstrate violent behavior.

Umbrellas are attached on a fence at an elementary school on Feb. 12 in Daejeon where a 7-year-old girl was stabbed to death. Letters, flowers and dolls given by visitors who paid condolence visits are placed along the fence. [YONHAP]

Arrest and search warrants against the teacher were issued on Tuesday evening.

Police searched the teacher’s residence and vehicle for evidence on Wednesday. The Daejeon Seobu Police Precinct is analyzing data and records on her mobile devices through digital forensic technology.

Police will also review her medical records and analyze her browsing history on her notebook computer at the school.

As of press time, the authorities had yet to decide on a specific timetable for arresting the suspect because she was still in intensive care after surgery.

Police plan to take the suspect into custody once she can walk, with questioning expected to begin Wednesday if she can talk.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, KIM BANG-HYUN [[email protected]]