South Korean teacher who murdered pupil dodges death penalty, gets life sentence instead

Sign up now: Get STs newsletters delivered to your inbox

Mugshots of Myeong Jae-wan, released by the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency in March.

PHOTO: DAEJEON METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY

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’ call for the death penalty.

The Daejeon District Court on Oct 20 convicted Myeong Jae-wan, 48, of murdering Kim Ha-neul inside 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 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