How Could This Happen Inside a School... Outrage Spreads Over the Murder of an Elementary Student in Daejeon

"You couldn't even protect one child..."
Bereaved Family Expresses Anger at School Staff Visit
"How could such a thing happen inside a school"
Anxiety Spreads on Daejeon Mom Cafes

At 5:50 p.m. on the 10th, A, an 8-year-old first grader at an elementary school in Seo-gu, Daejeon, was found stabbed with a sharp weapon and in cardiac arrest, but she died. The photo shows citizens gathered around the elementary school. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the 10th, voices of outrage erupted from various sectors over an incident in which a teacher killed a student with a weapon inside an elementary school in Daejeon. The bereaved family of the victimized elementary student poured out their anger toward the teacher, the school, and the education authorities, while parents and netizens continued to condemn the incident.

According to Yonhap News and others, some relatives of Kim Haneul (8), a first grader who died, strongly pushed away school staff who came to the emergency room, saying, "You couldn’t even protect one child, so why are you here? Don’t show your face in front of us." The area in front of the emergency room was filled with grief. Haneul’s maternal grandmother cried out, "I cannot possibly understand how a student could suffer such a thing at school."

Haneul’s father, Mr. A, told reporters, "The teacher, overwhelmed by depression, lost control and killed innocent Haneul. Today, our Haneul became a star, and from now on, there must be no second Haneul."

According to Mr. A, Haneul’s phone had a 'Parental Protection' app installed that allowed listening to all sounds around the phone in real time without making a call. From around 4:50 p.m., when the search for Haneul began, until she was found, all sounds were heard.

Mr. A said, "Haneul’s voice was no longer heard at all, but there were continuous sounds of heavy breathing like an old woman running, drawers opening and closing, and a bag zipper being opened." He also claimed, "This incident must be a 100% premeditated crime." Mr. A added, "Since last week, Haneul had been attending an art academy, so she was the only child at school until 4:40 p.m. They must have known she was alone, and the weapon was also brought in directly, so it cannot be anything but a planned crime."

Police conducting an on-site inspection in the audiovisual room on the second floor of the elementary school where the incident occurred. Photo by Yonhap News

After the news of the accident spread, parents expressed their anxiety on Daejeon mom cafes and other online communities with comments such as "How could such a thing happen inside a school?" "It’s shocking and horrifying," "I still can’t believe it," and "It feels like I dreamed it overnight." A parent whose child attends the school lamented, "I don’t think I can send my child to school because I’m too anxious." Amid the shock among parents, the school decided to close for one day on the 11th.

Earlier, around 4:30 p.m. on the 10th, when Haneul did not come to the academy and did not respond to calls, her parents reported her missing to the police. Location tracking by the police showed Haneul’s phone at the school’s second-floor audiovisual room. After confirming with school officials, they found Haneul and Mr. B collapsed there. While police and family members were gathering at the audiovisual room, Mr. B locked the storage room door, but the police broke the door down and found Haneul and Mr. B, then requested emergency medical services.

The police faced difficulties in determining the initial circumstances and identifying the suspect due to the absence of CCTV at the scene. However, Mr. B confessed to the crime around 9 p.m. that day, and after surgery, the police plan to investigate the exact motive and details of the crime. The police believe Mr. B killed Haneul with a weapon and then attempted self-harm. Mr. B is a full-time teacher at the school who had recently returned to work at the end of last year after taking a leave of absence due to depression and other issues. The police plan to investigate Mr. B’s exact motive and the details of the crime once his health improves.