On the afternoon of the 10th, a female teacher in her 40s, referred to as A, who allegedly killed first grader Kim Ha-neul at an elementary school in Daejeon, stated in a police investigation that she was 'frustrated after being excluded from class and committed the act with the thought of dying together.'
On the 11th, Yook Jong-myung, the head of the Daejeon Western Police Station, reported that A said during the police investigation, 'I have been receiving treatment for depression since 2018, and I had thoughts of suicide while on leave. I felt frustrated three days after returning to work, and my vice principal prevented me from attending class.' A had taken sick leave for health reasons on December 9th last year but returned early at the end of the year. A had also repeatedly taken sick leave for mental health issues.
According to the police, A purchased a weapon at a mart near the school the previous afternoon and brought it onto the school grounds. A stated, 'I didn't want to be in the (school) third-floor faculty room, so I opened the locked audiovisual room and went inside,' adding, 'When students from the care classroom (right in front) finished their lesson, I thought, 'I don't care which child it is; I'm thinking of dying together,' and lured the last child in by saying, 'I have a book for you,' then choked and stabbed them with the weapon.'
According to the family, Kim was staying in the care classroom after school on the day she was supposed to go to an academy. Based on A's statements and the time the academy vehicle arrived after Kim left the care classroom, the police estimated that A killed Kim between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. the previous afternoon.
The police suspect the crime took place in a materials storage room inside the audiovisual room based on A's statements, site examination, and forensic results. The police received a missing persons report and began searching the school with officials. They broke into the audiovisual storage room and found Kim lying unconscious inside. A was also found at the same location.
Yook explained that A's ability to clearly identify who the student was is lacking, so it cannot be considered as 'an acquaintance crime.' He added, regarding the motive for the crime, 'We will investigate school officials, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, and the suspect's mobile phone and computer.' However, there are no CCTV cameras installed in the crime scene, classrooms, or hallways.
After killing Kim, A attempted to harm herself. She is currently recovering in the hospital's intensive care unit after undergoing surgery. Yook stated, 'A harmed her neck, and the weapon penetrated deep into her vein. During some of her statements, her blood pressure rose, and we could not receive her statements properly.'