Education authorities scramble to bolster student safety after 7-year-old's death
Published: 13 Feb. 2025, 18:47
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- CHO JUNG-WOO
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Visitors leave messages at a memorial altar for 7-year-old Kim Ha-neul, who was allegedly stabbed to death by a teacher, at an elementary school in Seo District, Daejeon, on Feb. 13. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/13/0f88ec7b-d9e1-4b77-8cb7-72383f14c570.jpg)
Visitors leave messages at a memorial altar for 7-year-old Kim Ha-neul, who was allegedly stabbed to death by a teacher, at an elementary school in Seo District, Daejeon, on Feb. 13. [YONHAP]
Authorities are drawing up measures to enhance student safety in schools following the death of a 7-year-old girl who was allegedly stabbed to death by a teacher.
The South Chungcheong Education Office said Thursday it will provide first- and second-graders at elementary schools with portable emergency devices that can alert parents in urgent situations. When a student presses the button on the device, their parents will receive a notification.
The education office also plans to expand text message services that notify parents when students leave school to cover all elementary schools in its jurisdiction. Additionally, it pledged to ensure that guardians accompany students in after-school care programs and to install AI-based CCTV cameras capable of detecting suspicious activity. These cameras will automatically alert a control center.
The North Jeolla Office of Education also announced plans to strengthen oversight of teachers on leave and enhance safety measures for students returning home from school.
The office said it will conduct thorough reviews before allowing teachers to return from leave, as well as implement regular monitoring and counseling programs for those in need.
The North Gyeongsang provincial government said it would increase police patrols and expand escort services, allowing officers and firefighters to accompany children leaving public care institutions. The local government also plans to establish a “safety network” to notify parents if their children deviate from their usual route home.
![Students exit an elementary school in Seoul on Feb. 13. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/13/dc05abbf-7cd9-4605-9400-7b0c1ee900d4.jpg)
Students exit an elementary school in Seoul on Feb. 13. [NEWS1]
The measures come in response to the death of Kim Ha-neul, a first-grade student in Daejeon who was found unconscious with stab wounds on Monday. She was rushed to a hospital but pronounced dead.
A 48-year-old female teacher, who was discovered with Kim in the same room, later admitted to killing the girl before she underwent surgery for injuries to her own neck.
According to police, the teacher purchased the knife allegedly used in the crime on Monday afternoon, during work hours, from a store about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the school in Seo District of Daejeon.
The assailant told police she had been receiving treatment for depression since 2018. Authorities said they are investigating the specific treatments and medications she was prescribed.
According to a document from the Daejeon Education Office, obtained by Rebuilding Korea Party Rep. Kang Kyung-sook, the teacher had repeatedly taken sick leave and early leave since last July. She went on an official leave of absence from Dec. 9 to Dec. 29.
During her 26-year teaching career, she worked at six different schools in Daejeon and received nine awards, including one from the education superintendent. There were no prior records of complaints or disciplinary action against her.
![A child pays respects at a memorial altar for 7-year-old Kim Ha-neul, who was allegedly stabbed to death by a teacher at her school in Daejeon, on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/13/fe3f9da8-0260-457c-b381-3fea5989d6c1.jpg)
A child pays respects at a memorial altar for 7-year-old Kim Ha-neul, who was allegedly stabbed to death by a teacher at her school in Daejeon, on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]
Kim’s father criticized police for their failure to locate his daughter quickly after she was reported missing. The child was found in a supply storage room inside an audiovisual room on the school’s second floor by her grandmother.
Kim’s mother first reported her daughter missing to the 112 police hotline at 5:15 p.m. Monday. Authorities attempted to track Kim’s location 16 times, starting at 5:17 p.m.
The child was eventually found at around 5:50 p.m. — about 30 minutes later — after her grandmother entered the audiovisual room and discovered the teacher inside a storage room.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Daejeon Seobu Police Precinct chief Yuk Jong-myeong explained that the location data for Kim placed her within an area that covered the school’s kindergarten and a nearby apartment complex. The apartment complex is about 100 meters away from the school.
“Before we contacted the police, the child protection app showed that Ha-neul was at school at around 4:55 p.m.,” Kim’s father said. “When I arrived at the apartment complex with the police, the app still showed that she was at school.”
According to Kim’s father, the app can capture and transmit surrounding noises when opened, even without making a phone call.
“After I listened through the app, I told the police she was indoors and that I could hear a woman breathing,” he said. “I feel guilty for not being able to find her sooner.”
BY CHO JUNG-WOO, CHOI JONG-KWON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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