A South Korean elementary school student, aged seven, was killed by her school teacher in a shocking incident in Daejeon on February 10, 2025. This tragic event followed a chain of ignored warnings and administrative lapses that failed to safeguard the student and the teacher.
The victim, a first-grade student named Kim Ha-neul, was declared missing by her grandmother around 5:15 p.m. when she did not show up for her after-school art class. Half an hour later, the grandmother discovered Kim unconscious in the school’s audio-visual room. According to police reports, the young girl had suffered multiple stab wounds to her neck and arm. Despite being rushed to the hospital, she was declared dead upon arrival.
The teacher, a 48-year-old woman with several years of experience at the school, was found in the vicinity of the victim, bearing self-inflicted injuries on her neck and arms. During the initial police interrogation, the teacher expressed her annoyance that the vice-principal had not permitted her to teach, according to The Times.
The assault took place after regular school hours during an after-school care program, at a time when most of the staff had already departed for the day. Investigators state that the teacher purchased a knife specifically for this planned attack, intending to end her own life along with a student’s life. She patiently waited for the last student to depart before luring the girl into a secluded area and executing the attack.
A police investigation unveiled a troubling pattern of behavior leading up to this incident. Since 2018, the teacher had been seeking professional help for depression and had asked for a six-month leave in December 2024. However, she resumed work after only 20 days, following a hasty fitness assessment that is now under scrutiny.
In the days leading up to the attack, the teacher demonstrated increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior. She twisted a colleague’s arm during a confrontation when asked about her well-being just days before the fatal incident. On the day of the attack, she destroyed a computer out of frustration over slow internet speeds.
Despite these alarming incidents, school administrators disregarded the education office’s suggestions to put her on leave and isolate her from other staff.
The ongoing investigation raises serious concerns about how she could continue teaching despite obvious warning signs. Authorities are conducting thorough searches of her residence and vehicle and examining her digital records, medical history, and school files to comprehend the oversight that led to this tragedy.
Autopsy results from February 12 revealed that Kim succumbed to multiple injuries inflicted by a sharp weapon. Medical examiners concluded that the wounds matched a premeditated attack rather than a spontaneous act of violence.
Due to the teacher’s medical condition and self-inflicted injuries, police temporarily suspended their questioning on the advice of doctors. They intend to resume the interrogation once she is stable enough to communicate. Authorities are preparing documents to request a warrant for her formal arrest, although her medical condition might delay court proceedings.
Kim’s parents are demanding accountability from school officials and the education office. “The school and education office must take full responsibility for this tragedy,” Kim’s father stated at a press conference, expressing his distress and frustration. “If only we hadn’t sent her there, she would still be here today,” he added.
Educational experts identify systemic flaws in South Korea’s approach to teacher mental health. The country does not have a comprehensive, nationwide framework for managing educators’ mental health, including appropriate protocols for involving mental health specialists in assessment and treatment plans.
Despite generally low rates of violent crime, South Korea has seen an increase in high-profile stabbing incidents in recent years. In 2023, the country was shaken by two separate violent attacks — one at a subway station in Daejeon and another involving a high school teacher in the same city.
Choi Sang-mok, the acting president of South Korea, has instructed a comprehensive investigation into this specific incident and broader systemic issues within the education system. The education ministry has been assigned to review and revise current protocols for monitoring teacher mental health and ensuring student safety.
The Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education has pledged immediate reforms, including changes to after-school program supervision requirements and mandatory mental health screening protocols for teaching staff. Nevertheless, this tragedy has left unresolved questions about how such oversights occurred and how they can be prevented.
