"Leaders of Both Parties, Please Come to the Funeral Hall and Listen to My Story"
"Strong Response to Malicious Commenters"
The father of 8-year-old Kim Haneul (a first grader), who was killed by a teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon, appealed to the political sphere for the enactment of the so-called 'Haneul Act,' stating that legislation is necessary to prevent such incidents from recurring. He also expressed his intention to strongly respond to some malicious comments.
On the 11th, a funeral hall in Seo-gu, Daejeon, was set up as the mourning place for Kim Ha-neul (8), the victim of the Daejeon elementary school murder case. Photo by Yonhap News
According to Yonhap News and others on the 12th, Haneul's father met with reporters at the funeral hall of Konyang University Hospital in Daejeon, where the wake was held, and said, "What I hope for is that something like what happened to our Haneul will never happen again." He added, "If you are watching, I ask the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties to come to the funeral hall, meet Haneul once, and please listen to my story. I don't know much about politics, but I ask those who run the country to help Haneul." He also requested, "Please pray for many people so that Haneul can happily run and play in heaven."
Kim Haneul was stabbed and killed by a teacher in his 40s suffering from depression and other conditions on the afternoon of the 10th at an elementary school in Seo-gu, Daejeon. The teacher is known to have been receiving treatment for depression since 2018 and had taken a medical leave of absence in December last year but returned to work early before committing the crime. Because of this, Haneul's father appealed for the necessity of enacting the so-called 'Haneul Act,' which would ensure that teachers with mental illnesses receive treatment and guarantee the safety of lower-grade students when leaving school.
On this day, Haneul's father said, "Haneul promised me that if IVE held a concert in Daejeon, she wanted to go, so I promised her." He added, "Haneul's dream was Jang Wonyoung herself. I know you are busy, but if possible, please come to see Haneul once."
He also stated his intention to strongly respond to malicious comments about Haneul posted on some articles. He said, "What wrong did Haneul do? She was sick and followed the teacher without even being able to scream and died," and added, "From now on, I will collect all information related to malicious comments and ensure that those responsible are punished."
The Ministry of Education announced in the afternoon that it plans to promote a tentative 'Haneul Act' that would allow for administrative leave or other measures if a teacher is judged to be unable to perform their duties properly due to mental illness or other reasons. The aim is to revise the current regulations, which only allow leave if the teacher requests it.
The political sphere is also expected to accelerate legislative discussions on the 'Haneul Act.' On the 12th, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, expressed deep condolences for the tragic death of the late Kim Haneul, who became a star in heaven, during a floor strategy meeting and emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident. The People Power Party also announced plans to hold a party-government council to prepare measures to prevent recurrence.
The leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea also held a moment of silence before the Supreme Council meeting, and Park Chan-dae, floor leader, emphasized, "The Democratic Party will do its best to prepare countermeasures." Jin Seong-jun, chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, also stated on his social media, "We will promptly legislate the 'Haneul Act' requested by the parents."
Leaders of both ruling and opposition parties will visit Kim Haneul's funeral hall to pay their respects. Kwon Young-se, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, canceled his scheduled appointments in the afternoon to attend the funeral. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is also scheduled to visit the funeral hall on the same day to pay respects.
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