Both Myung Jae-wan (48), who was sentenced to life in prison at the first trial on charges of murdering first grader Kim Ha-neul (8) at an elementary school in Daejeon, and the prosecution filed appeals.
According to legal sources on the 28th, Myung's side filed a notice of appeal with the Daejeon District Court the previous day through an attorney. The prosecution also filed an appeal on the 24th.
Myung's side is expected to again argue diminished mental capacity, which was not recognized at the first trial.
Because the prosecution initially sought the maximum sentence allowed by law, the death penalty, it is expected to argue that the life sentence imposed is too lenient and unjust. The victim's attorney also said after the sentencing, "This is an unprecedented case, and it is regrettable that a life sentence was imposed," adding, "We will convey our views on the grounds for appeal to the prosecution."
The appeal trial is scheduled to proceed before a criminal panel at the Daejeon High Court. A panel has not yet been assigned.
At about 4:43 p.m. on Feb. 10, Myung was indicted on charges of luring Ha-neul, who was on her way home from school, into a storage room in the audiovisual room at an elementary school in Gwanjeo-dong, Seo District, Daejeon, where he worked, by saying "I'll give you a book," and killing her with a weapon he had prepared in advance.
Ha-neul was found in cardiac arrest and was taken to a nearby hospital but died. At the time, Myung had inflicted self-injuries to his neck and arm and underwent emergency surgery, and confessed his crime to police before surgery.
Myung is also accused of kicking and damaging a school work computer and assaulting a fellow teacher who told him "Let's leave work together" about four to five days before the crime.
Police arrested Myung on Mar. 7 after his condition improved and, four days later, convened a committee to review disclosure of personal information and decided to release his identity.
The first trial court held, "He selected a girl because he believed it would be easy to subdue her and expressed anger at a victim he did not know at all, and we find that he should be permanently isolated from society," adding, "However, it cannot be said there is absolutely no possibility of remorse or rehabilitation, so it would be somewhat excessive to isolate him from society by taking his life."
The court sentenced Myung to life in prison and ordered 30 years of electronic monitoring by a location-tracking device (electronic anklet), a ban on contacting or approaching the bereaved family, and a ban on entering child protection zones.