At an elementary school in Daejeon, it is reported that a female teacher at the school was reinstated last December after taking 20 days of a 6-month sick leave for a mental health issue, during which she fatally stabbed 8-year-old Kim Ha-nul on the 10th.
It is said that this teacher displayed violent behavior after returning to work, including choking a fellow teacher with her arm, four days before the incident involving Kim Ha-nul. In response, the school requested that the education authorities create measures, but the education office did not provide any significant alternatives.
On the 11th, the Daejeon City Office of Education held an emergency briefing and revealed that the female teacher in her 40s who killed Kim Ha-nul had been reinstated as of December 30 of last year. She had been on sick leave for six months due to mental health issues since December 9 of last year but returned to work early. She was reportedly on sick leave multiple times previously for similar issues.
Concerns were raised that the education authorities did not verify the teacher's complete recovery before her reinstatement. In response, the education office stated, "The school must reinstate a teacher within 30 days of a return application if there is a doctor's opinion," adding that "the school based its reinstatement on the doctor's opinion."
According to the education office, a committee for screening teachers with mental or physical illnesses has been operating since 2015, allowing for recommendations for either leave or termination when it is deemed difficult to perform their duties. However, the education office stated that this case involving the female teacher was not one that warranted a committee meeting.
The education office also responded to claims that the sudden early reinstatement of the female teacher should have been thoroughly examined by stating, "Sick leave is considered a petition for leave and is processed according to the individual's intention," and emphasized that, as a principle, the teacher must return immediately if the reason for sick leave no longer exists. They noted that if the teacher insists on returning under such circumstances with a doctor’s opinion, there’s nothing more that can be done.
According to the education office, the female teacher exhibited violent tendencies before the recent crime. On February 6, she reportedly broke a computer, claiming that she could not access the work portal properly. Additionally, she allegedly choked a fellow teacher who attempted to engage her in conversation after observing her alone in a dark classroom and held the teacher's wrist tightly.
Subsequently, the school administration advised the female teacher and required her to apologize to the affected colleague. They also demanded that the city education office prepare measures, but there were reportedly no significant actions taken.
The victim's family claims that the female teacher, who had no connection to Kim Ha-nul, carried out a premeditated attack against an unspecified individual.
Kim Ha-nul was using an after-school care program aimed at first and second-grade elementary school students. However, the female teacher had been working as a subject-specific teacher since her reinstatement.
The city education office stated, "The students had no contact with the perpetrating teacher at all," and explained that once the teacher took sick leave, a replacement assumed the homeroom duties, and there had been no contact with the victim student.