The government is pushing for the establishment of the "Haneul Law (provisional name)" related to the case of 1st grader Kim Haneul, who was fatally injured by a weapon wielded by a teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho said at the discussion with education chiefs held at the Government Seoul Building on the 12th, "We will promote the Haneul Law to amend the law to allow necessary measures such as mandatory leave for teachers who have difficulties performing their duties due to mental illness, following certain procedures."
The meeting was held to discuss the investigation into the case of Haneul, who was killed by a weapon wielded by a teacher on the 10th, and measures to prevent a recurrence.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated, "We will prepare fundamental measures to ensure that such tragic events do not occur again."
He also remarked, "We will establish measures to make it mandatory to confirm the possibility of normal work upon reinstatement (of teachers) and look for ways to intervene urgently if teachers show unusual symptoms of violence."
Earlier, it was reported that the teacher who murdered Haneul with a weapon on the 10th in the elementary school had returned to work last December after using only about 20 days of a 6-month sick leave. This teacher reportedly exhibited violent behavior, such as choking a colleague, four days before the incident in which Haneul was killed.
Meanwhile, regarding the Haneul case, the political circle also stated that they would push for the legislation of the Haneul Law on the same day.
Kim Sang-hoon, chairman of the policy committee of the People Power Party, noted, "There is a growing call for the amendment of the law to immediately separate teachers with issues such as mental illness." Additionally, Jin Sung-joon, chairman of the policy committee of the Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook, "We will swiftly legislate the 'Haneul Law' requested by the parents."