A South Korean teacher fatally stabs an eight-year-old

A teacher has fatally stabbed an eight-year-old girl at an elementary school in South Korea, an incident that has left the nation in shock.

The teacher, a woman in her 40s, admitted to the stabbing in Daejeon, police confirmed. The young victim was discovered on the second floor of the school building at 18:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The teacher was found nearby, bearing stab wounds that authorities believe may have been self-inflicted.

In response to the tragedy, South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered an investigation and called on officials to implement measures to prevent such incidents from occurring again. In a somber tribute, local residents laid flowers and placed a stuffed doll at the closed school gate on Tuesday.

At a police briefing, Yook Jong-myung, the head of the Daejeon Western Police Station, disclosed that the teacher is currently recovering in hospital, having received stitches on a neck wound. The Daejeon education office had previously reported that the teacher had taken a six-month leave of absence due to depression starting on December 9, but returned to work just 20 days later after being cleared by a doctor. During her leave, she reportedly experienced suicidal thoughts, according to her statement to the police.

In the days leading up to the incident, the teacher had exhibited violent behavior, including placing a fellow teacher in a headlock—a matter that prompted two education office officials to visit the school on Monday morning to investigate the altercation. Following that episode, the education office had recommended that the teacher be placed on leave and physically separated from the other teacher, assigning her to sit near the vice principal’s desk for closer monitoring. It was noted that she had not been teaching classes since her leave began and had not been in contact with the eight-year-old student.

According to her police testimony, the teacher purchased a weapon on the day of the attack and brought it to school, with the intention of taking her own life along with that of a child. She stated that she did not “care which child it was” and specifically targeted the last student to leave, luring the child into the media room before carrying out the attack.

The child was reported missing on Monday evening after a bus driver notified the school that she had not been picked up. Although South Korea is widely regarded as a safe country with strict gun control laws, the nation has recently faced several high-profile crimes, including stabbing incidents.

Acting President Choi expressed his deep sorrow over the incident, stating, “It pains me to see such incidents because a school should be our safest space. I offer my deep condolences to the victim’s family, who have endured great shock and agony.”