People mourn the death of a pupil stabbed to death allegedly by a teacher, outside of an elementary (Image: AP)
An elementary school teacher in has admitted stabbing a seven-year-old girl to death in an incident which has shocked the nation.
The woman, understood to be in her 40s, who works at the school, is being questioned by in the city in Daejeon – but has not yet been arrested. She has nevertheless confessed, police said.
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.
She told police that she had recently returned to work after a period of leave for health reasons, Yuk said. She told she has received treatment for depression since 2018.
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People gather outside an elementary school building in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Fe (Image: YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images)
After the first-grade student was reported missing at 5.15 pm 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 pm. 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.