Tragic murder raises questions on school safety; calls grow for on-site police
The shocking murder of a first grader at the hands of her teacher inside an elementary school in Daejeon has ignited widespread concerns over school safety in South Korea.
The unprecedented nature of the attack, which took place in what is supposed to be the safest space for a child outside of the home, has left parents and educators questioning whether schools in Asia's fourth-largest economy are equipped to prevent such incidents or respond effectively should similar crises arise.
Despite South Korea’s well-established disaster preparedness programs for fire, earthquakes and other natural disasters, schools remain largely untrained for handling violent incidents, particularly in cases involving weapons.
Asked about protocols for encountering an individual with a weapon, a 29-year-old high school teacher admitted uncertainty.
“To be honest, I would just freeze if I saw someone with a knife. There are no specific guidelines I have been taught on what to do,” she told The Korea Herald.
A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official confirmed that while schools offer various safety programs and training for natural disasters, security threats involving weapons are not a standard part of school safety training.
“We have many programs and centers where students and teachers can experience earthquake or fire drills to educate them on proper procedures, but there is little focus on dealing with violent incidents,” the official said.
Another school safety official acknowledged a lack of clear protocols about bringing weapons or potential weapons onto school grounds.
“Teachers can inform the individual about the dangers of possessing an object that could harm others and can confiscate it,” the official said.
However, he noted that schools currently lack the legal authority to conduct thorough searches of students' or others’ belongings, limiting their ability to prevent potential threats.
“Calling the police would be the best option,” he added.
Demand for on-site security
In the wake of the attack, parents and educators are calling for an overhaul of school security policies, with some advocating for introducing school resource officers — a practice already widely implemented in the United States.
A 40-year-old parent of two elementary school children expressed her deep concerns, stating, “There needs to be an extensive safety net in place to prevent such tragedies.”
Following the Daejeon elementary school killing, some have proposed that South Korea hire security personnel stationed within schools to patrol facilities, monitor safety threats and respond to emergencies. Critics argue that had there been a school patrol officer or dedicated security personnel on campus, the child’s cries for help might have been heard and intervention could have taken place sooner.
Currently, South Korea employs some school police officers or personnel who are primarily focused on preventing school violence between students, rather than addressing general school security.
According to a report submitted by the National Police Agency to the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, one school officer in South Korea is responsible for an average of 10.7 schools. This compared to cities like New York and Los Angeles, where school resource officers handle 3.5 and 1.6 on average, respectively, though SROs in the US are not usually full police officers.
In the 2021-22 school year, almost half of public schools in the United States had sworn law enforcement officers, including school resource officers, routinely carrying a firearm, at 44.8 percent, according to Statista.
Teachers overwhelmed
The demand for school security officers has also gained traction among teachers, who say that monitoring students — particularly during dismissal times and after-school programs — is an overwhelming task.
A 33-year-old elementary school teacher, surnamed Kim, noted, “It’s impossible for one teacher to keep track of all the students during dismissal. If there were a dedicated safety officer, both teachers and parents would feel much more at ease.”
Education experts have also called for specialized security staff to handle unpredictable emergencies on campus.
Kwon Hye-rim, a professor of police administration at Seowon University, emphasized the importance of professional security personnel, stating, “It’s not just about supervising students during dismissal; we need experts who can respond to unpredictable crisis situations on school grounds.”
Can cameras, alarms prevent crime?
Blind spots in the school surveillance system was another factor in the Daejeon school murder.
Police reports confirm that no cameras had been installed in key locations such as the second-floor corridor, after-school classroom or the audiovisual room, where the crime took place. Experts point out that the absence of surveillance allowed the teacher to commit the attack without immediate detection.
While cameras alone may not prevent crimes, they can serve as a deterrent and aid in swift emergency responses. In response, the Ulsan and Daegu Education Offices announced plans to expand school surveillance systems, including the installation of emergency alarms and intercoms.
Other measures under discussion include an alert system for parents when students leave after-school programs and an increase in regular police patrols around schools.
Some suggest that the responsibilities of SPOs to include school staff monitoring could help prevent such incidents. The Daejeon suspect, for example, had displayed violent behavior before the attack, including a recent attempt to choke a colleague and forcibly twisting another teacher’s arm.
"In case of SPOs, they have face-to-face talks with many students. Had the SPOs worked more closely with schools, these warning signs might have been identified earlier, potentially preventing the crime," a police officer who wished to be unidentified said.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
