A teacher, Myung Jae-wan, who killed a student at an elementary school in Daejeon where she worked, applied for a mental examination while admitting all charges at his first trial.
Myung's lawyer applied for a mental examination, stating on the 26th during a hearing at the 12th Criminal Division of the Daejeon District Court (Director General Kim Byeong-man) that "it is necessary to clearly verify the extent to which Myung's mental illness and depression influenced the commission of this crime" during the first trial on charges of violations of the law on the aggravated punishment of specific crimes (profiteering, etc.).
The lawyer said, "Above all, I sincerely offer my condolences to the victims' bereaved families who lost their most precious family member, and applying for a mental examination is not to evade or reduce the sentence," adding, "I request the court to comprehensively consider the circumstances leading to the defendant's actions and his life so far."
In response, the prosecution argued, "The defendant was fully capable of carrying out daily life and work, and there was no impairment in cognitive function," adding, "During the investigation, Myung's actions of preparing methods and tools and carefully selecting the location and target prior to the crime do not correspond to mental disorders according to the opinions of psychiatric experts, so a mental examination is unnecessary."
The court decided to deliberate on whether to refer the case for a mental examination at the next hearing, as violations of the law on the aggravated punishment of specific crimes (profiteering) carry heavy penalties of either death or life imprisonment. The court will also conduct a hearing on the father of the victim, Kim Ha-neul's, testimony and the prosecution's request for an electronic monitoring order at the next hearing.
On that day, Myung, wearing a mask and prison uniform, calmly answered the court's inquiries about her personal details from the defendant's seat. The victim's bereaved family held their breath and shed tears as the prosecutor read the charges.
The victim's lawyer expressed difficulty in understanding Myung's application for a mental examination. Lawyer Kim Sang-nam from YK Law Firm stated after the trial, "Since the investigation already concluded that there is no significant mental problem, it is hard for the victims to understand, and it is regrettable that it appears as an attempt to avoid severe punishment," adding, "The lack of significant contact until now followed by an expression of apology in court is judged to be a plea for mitigation and remorse."
Earlier, Myung was brought to trial on charges of stabbing and killing 1st grader Kim Ha-neul with a weapon she bought herself after taking Kim to an audiovisual room around 5 p.m. on Feb. 10 while Kim was returning home from an after-school care class at an elementary school in Daejeon.