February 21, 2025
SEOUL – 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.