SEOUL: A former elementary school teacher who fatally stabbed a seven-year-old pupil in a Daejeon school has been sentenced to life in prison in her first trial, despite prosecutors calling for the death penalty.
The Daejeon District Court on Oct 20 convicted Myeong Jae-wan, 48, of murdering Kim Ha-neul in an elementary school classroom in Daejeon on Feb 10. The court also ordered Myeong to wear an electronic tracking device for 30 years.
According to the verdict, Myeong lured Ha-neul into an audiovisual room around 5pm that day, after classes had ended, telling the girl that she would give her a book. She then stabbed the child to death with a knife she had prepared in advance.
“The pain and fear felt by the seven-year-old victim, who was killed in what should have been the safest place, and the grief of her family are beyond what the court can measure,” the judge said on Oct 20. “A heavy sentence that permanently isolates the defendant from society is inevitable.”
In September, prosecutors had sought the death penalty, calling the crime exceptionally brutal.
They cited the victim’s parents’ plea for the harshest punishment and argued that Myeong had shown “no sign of remorse” throughout the investigation.
However, the court imposed a life sentence, saying: “While the risk of reoffending is high, it is difficult to conclude that the defendant must be executed.”
In her final statement, Myeong apologised to the victim’s family while citing her struggles with mental illness.
“I am deeply sorry that such a senseless act was committed by a teacher in a place that should be the safest,” she said. “My judgment was clouded while undergoing mental health treatment, and I will reflect on my wrongdoing for the rest of my life.”
A psychiatric evaluation requested by the defence concluded that Myeong was in a state of mental and physical weakness at the time of the crime.
However, prosecutors disputed that finding, noting that she had returned to work last December with a doctor’s note stating that her depression had nearly been resolved.
“The defendant’s mental illness, including depression, does not appear to have a causal relationship with the crime,” prosecutors said while urging the court to impose the death penalty. - The Korea Herald/ANN
