Emergency Countermeasure Meeting Held on Daejeon Elementary Student Death on the 11th
Safety Inspections Conducted On and Off Campus Ahead of the New Semester
Students Experiencing Psychological or Emotional Instability to Receive Counseling Support at Wee Centers
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 12th that it held an emergency countermeasure meeting on the 11th to discuss the overall school safety response system in relation to the death of an elementary school student in Daejeon.
At the meeting, it was decided that schools operating after-school care classrooms should immediately prioritize protecting children, and students experiencing psychological and emotional difficulties such as anxiety about attending school due to this incident can receive counseling support anytime at nearby Wee Centers.
In addition, ahead of the new semester, the preparation status for school academic affairs was reviewed, on- and off-campus safety inspections were conducted, and any deficiencies were to be promptly addressed.
The reinstatement procedures will also be strengthened. Since the perpetrator teacher in the Daejeon elementary school death case had mental health issues, in-depth discussions were held on practical measures to manage staff members with illnesses.
Based on the results of this emergency countermeasure meeting, a countermeasure meeting was held that morning with education superintendents and heads of departments attending to devise specific school safety measures reflecting field opinions. In the afternoon, at a meeting hosted by the Ministry of Education, the Minister of Education, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent, and superintendents from 17 other metropolitan and provincial offices of education held in-depth discussions on countermeasures and plan to prepare and announce measures promptly.
Jung Geun-sik, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "We will conduct thorough inspections against all threats to student safety," and added, "We will do our best to make Seoul schools the safest and happiest for students."
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