DAEJEON: A teacher accused of stabbing an 8-year-old student to death at an elementary school in Daejeon has confessed to being "annoyed" at her exclusion from a class, police revealed Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the teacher, in her 40s, admitted to the police that she attacked the girl on the second floor of the school on Monday. The young student was subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital due to excessive bleeding. The teacher expressed her frustration, saying, "I got annoyed just three days after returning to work," after blaming an unidentified individual for preventing her from teaching.
The police disclosed that the suspect had been receiving treatment for depression since 2018 and had contemplated suicide during a six-month sick leave that began in December. Despite the leave, she returned to work early and, on the day of the incident, acquired a weapon before heading to the school with the intention of targeting a child.
In her statement, the teacher recounted to police that she waited for the students to leave an after-school class, hoping to die alongside a child. She reportedly lured the last child out by promising a book, leading her to the audiovisual room where she strangled and stabbed her. The teacher also inflicted stab wounds on herself and is currently recuperating in a hospital.
Investigations revealed previous signs of aggression from the teacher, including an incident last Thursday where she allegedly twisted another teacher's arm after being asked about her well-being. No police reports were filed at that time, though colleagues intervened to separate them.
The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency has obtained court warrants to detain the teacher for further questioning. They are also conducting searches of her home and vehicle to gather evidence, including her cellphone and hospital records. An autopsy on the child's body is planned to ascertain the precise cause of death, with the bereaved family consenting after initial resistance.