"At Least Six Months of Rest" → "Fit for Normal Work"
Hospital States "Diagnosis Made Based on Medical Judgment"
In an elementary school in Daejeon, it was revealed that Mr. A, a teacher in his 40s who murdered 8-year-old student Kim Haneul, had been suffering from depression since 2018, and that the content of the medical opinion letters he submitted for leave and reinstatement changed within 20 days.
According to the office of Kim Jun-hyuk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea in the National Assembly, Mr. A submitted medical opinion letters issued by the same doctor to the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education both when he applied for medical leave for treatment on December 9 last year and when he applied for early reinstatement 20 days later. The hospital that issued the diagnosis was a university hospital located in Seo-gu, Daejeon. The medical opinion letter submitted at the time of the leave application stated that "at least six months of rest and treatment are necessary," but the letter submitted for early reinstatement 20 days later included the opinion that "there is no problem performing duties."
On the morning of the 12th, a citizen placed chrysanthemums at the main gate of an elementary school in Seo-gu, Daejeon, where elementary school student Kim Ha-neul was murdered, as a tribute. Photo by Yonhap News
The attending physician described Mr. A’s condition when he attempted to take leave as "currently receiving intensive treatment at this psychiatric clinic," and diagnosed that "since mid-September last year, his condition rapidly worsened, and he has been suffering from severe depression and lethargy, requiring at least six months of rest and treatment." However, the diagnosis letter submitted at the time of reinstatement showed a significantly different content. This letter stated that "although symptoms rapidly worsened from mid-September and residual symptoms were severe until early December, the symptoms have almost disappeared since then, and normal work is expected to be possible."
The Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education has accepted teachers’ leave and reinstatement applications as long as they submit medical certificates and doctors’ opinions from medical institutions privately obtained. The hospital that issued the diagnosis to Mr. A stated, "Due to patient privacy protection and the psychiatrist’s duty of confidentiality, we cannot disclose detailed information," but added, "The diagnosis was made based on medical judgment and there is no error."
Meanwhile, on the 12th, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, said at a meeting, "We will prepare fundamental measures to ensure that such a tragic incident never happens again," and added, "We will revise the law to allow necessary measures such as compulsory leave through certain procedures for teachers who have difficulty performing their duties due to mental illness, under the tentative name 'Haneul Act'." He also stated, "We will make it mandatory to confirm the possibility of normal work upon reinstatement and prepare appropriate measures, and will devise ways to intervene urgently if teachers show unusual symptoms such as violence."
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