An elementary school in South Korea was the scene of a tragic incident when a teacher fatally stabbed an eight-year-old girl, shocking the entire nation.
The suspect, a female teacher in her 40s, confessed to the crime, which took place in the central city of Daejeon, according to police reports.
The young girl was discovered with stab wounds on the second floor of the school building at around 6:00 PM local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday. Despite efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Authorities found the teacher nearby, also wounded, with injuries that police believe may have been self-inflicted.
On Tuesday, South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered an investigation and urged authorities to implement strict measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
In response to the incident, local residents placed flowers and a stuffed toy at the school gate, which remained closed the following day.
During a police briefing, Yook Jong-myung, head of the Daejeon Western Police Station, stated that the teacher was receiving medical treatment and had a stitched wound on her neck.
According to the Daejeon education office, the teacher had initially requested a six-month leave due to depression on December 9. However, she returned to work just 20 days later after being medically cleared.
Authorities revealed that the teacher had experienced suicidal thoughts during her leave. In the days leading up to the attack, she had also displayed aggressive behavior, including an altercation where she placed a fellow teacher in a headlock.
Education officials had visited the school on the morning of the attack to investigate that incident. Following the altercation, the education office recommended that the teacher be placed on leave and kept physically separated from colleagues. As a precaution, she was seated next to the vice principal’s desk under close supervision.
The teacher had not been actively teaching since her leave in December and had no known prior contact with the victim, officials said.
In her testimony to the police, the teacher admitted to purchasing a weapon on the day of the attack, stating that she had planned to take both her own life and that of a child.
She further admitted that she did not target a specific student but instead attacked the last child to leave the classroom, luring the victim into the media room before carrying out the stabbing.
The young girl was reported missing on Monday evening after the school bus driver alerted the school that she had not shown up for pickup.
While South Korea is generally considered a safe country with strict gun control laws, recent years have seen a rise in high-profile violent crimes, including knife attacks.
“It is heartbreaking to witness such incidents, as schools should be among the safest places,” said acting president Choi. “I extend my deepest condolences to the victim’s family, who must be experiencing unimaginable grief.”