Children should be safe within school grounds
Published: 12 Feb. 2025, 00:00
In a shocking incident, a teacher admitted to stabbing 7-year-old student Kim Ha-neul in an elementary school. The fact that a young child lost her life at a school — a place that should be the safest location — at the hands of a teacher has left all of us devastated. The suspect, who attempted self-harm after the crime, made an appalling statement: "It didn't matter which child it was. I planned to die together." This horrifying declaration leaves one speechless, questioning where and how everything went so terribly wrong.
On Feb. 10, around 6 p.m., Ha-neul was found by her family and the police in an audiovisual room on the second floor of her elementary school in Daejeon. She was unconscious when taken to the hospital but was ultimately pronounced dead. She had just finished an after-school care program and was walking alone to catch her academy bus when she fell victim to the crime. The suspect, a teacher, had been receiving psychiatric treatment since 2018 and had taken a leave of absence at the end of last year before recently returning to work. During the investigation, she admitted to purchasing a weapon at a nearby store and targeting the last student leaving the after-school program.
Public outrage has intensified as it was revealed that warning signs of the suspect's instability had been detected by education authorities before the crime occurred. Many now wonder if this tragedy could have been prevented if the authorities paid more attention to student safety when the teacher exhibited violent tendencies.
According to investigations by education authorities and the police, four days before the crime, the teacher had an outburst, twisting a colleague’s arm when asked about her well-being as she crouched on the floor. Following this incident, the school strongly recommended that she take another leave of absence and even notified the city’s education office of the need for action. However, the request was denied on the grounds that additional leave could not be granted for the same medical condition. While the school reportedly removed her from teaching duties to prevent direct contact with students, it failed to stop her from committing an unspeakable crime after regular classes had ended. There is also deep concern over how the teacher, who initially took a six-month leave for depression, was able to return to work in less than a month. Authorities must thoroughly investigate whether her early reinstatement was justified and whether proper judgment was exercised in the decision.
Another critical point of reflection is the limitation of the child protection mobile application used by Ha-neul’s parents. Although they were able to trigger an emergency alarm and listen to real-time audio from the scene, it was not enough to prevent the crime.
Despite being engulfed in the unimaginable grief of losing his daughter, Ha-neul’s father made a heartfelt plea to the media: "We must ensure that no second Ha-neul suffers the same fate. Please hold the school and education authorities accountable." At the very least, children must be kept completely safe within school grounds. Fulfilling this responsibility is the only way to ensure that Ha-neul’s death — as she now rests in peace on a beautiful star in the sky — is not in vain.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
On Feb. 10, around 6 p.m., Ha-neul was found by her family and the police in an audiovisual room on the second floor of her elementary school in Daejeon. She was unconscious when taken to the hospital but was ultimately pronounced dead. She had just finished an after-school care program and was walking alone to catch her academy bus when she fell victim to the crime. The suspect, a teacher, had been receiving psychiatric treatment since 2018 and had taken a leave of absence at the end of last year before recently returning to work. During the investigation, she admitted to purchasing a weapon at a nearby store and targeting the last student leaving the after-school program.
Public outrage has intensified as it was revealed that warning signs of the suspect's instability had been detected by education authorities before the crime occurred. Many now wonder if this tragedy could have been prevented if the authorities paid more attention to student safety when the teacher exhibited violent tendencies.
According to investigations by education authorities and the police, four days before the crime, the teacher had an outburst, twisting a colleague’s arm when asked about her well-being as she crouched on the floor. Following this incident, the school strongly recommended that she take another leave of absence and even notified the city’s education office of the need for action. However, the request was denied on the grounds that additional leave could not be granted for the same medical condition. While the school reportedly removed her from teaching duties to prevent direct contact with students, it failed to stop her from committing an unspeakable crime after regular classes had ended. There is also deep concern over how the teacher, who initially took a six-month leave for depression, was able to return to work in less than a month. Authorities must thoroughly investigate whether her early reinstatement was justified and whether proper judgment was exercised in the decision.
Another critical point of reflection is the limitation of the child protection mobile application used by Ha-neul’s parents. Although they were able to trigger an emergency alarm and listen to real-time audio from the scene, it was not enough to prevent the crime.
Despite being engulfed in the unimaginable grief of losing his daughter, Ha-neul’s father made a heartfelt plea to the media: "We must ensure that no second Ha-neul suffers the same fate. Please hold the school and education authorities accountable." At the very least, children must be kept completely safe within school grounds. Fulfilling this responsibility is the only way to ensure that Ha-neul’s death — as she now rests in peace on a beautiful star in the sky — is not in vain.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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