Teacher in South Korea Admits to Fatally Stabbing Student

A teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon has admitted to stabbing a seven-year-old student to death during an afterschool program on Monday, according to police.

The incident has deeply shocked South Korea, prompting acting President Choi Sang-mok to express condolences and order a thorough investigation.

The teacher, reportedly in her 40s, is currently hospitalized for self-inflicted wounds, according to Yuk Jong-myeong, chief of Daejeon’s western district police station.

She has not yet been formally arrested as the police investigation is ongoing. Yuk also stated that the teacher had recently returned to work after a health-related leave and has been receiving treatment for depression since 2018.  

While the victim was a student at the same school, police have not yet established any specific relationship between the teacher and the child.

The student was discovered by her grandmother with stab wounds to the neck and face, an official from the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education said. She later died in the hospital.