Teacher questioned in stabbing death of first-grader in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean police on Tuesday were questioning an elementary school teacher who allegedly stabbed a first-grader to death in the city of Daejeon.

The killing on Monday during after-school care has shocked the nation and prompted the country’s acting president to order school safety standards reviewed.

The female suspect was receiving medical treatment for self-inflicted wounds following the death of the girl in an audio-visual room on the second floor of the school, said Yuk Jong-myeong, chief of Daejeon’s western district police station.

The suspect, reported to be in her 40s, told police that she had recently returned to work after a period of leave for health reasons, Yuk said. She told police she has received treatment for depression since 2018.

After the first-grade student was reported missing at 5:15 p.m. local time Monday, police and family members searched throughout the school and surrounding areas. Her grandmother found her in the audio-visual room around 5:50 p.m. The girl was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Choi Sang-mok, who is the country’s acting leader due to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, called for a thorough investigation into the killing and instructed education authorities to “implement necessary measures to ensure such incidents never happen again.”

Visitors laid flowers and condolence letters at the gate of the school, which was closed on Tuesday.