The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a life sentence for Myeong Jae-won, a 49-year-old former elementary school teacher convicted of killing a 7-year-old student at her school last year.
Korea’s highest court affirmed a lower court ruling finding Myeong guilty of the murder, which occurred on Feb. 10, 2025, at an elementary school in Seo-gu, Daejeon, about 135 kilometers south of Seoul.
The victim, Kim Ha-neul, a first grader, was fatally stabbed and later died at a local hospital despite emergency treatment.
"Myeong was an elementary school teacher who was in a position to protect the victim, yet she killed the seven-year-old at the school. Due to the method of the crime being cruel and ruthless, the punishment of a life sentence cannot be considered too severe," the Supreme Court said in its ruling.
Myeong admitted to the charges but sought leniency, claiming she was mentally incapacitated at the time due to depression, for which she had been receiving treatment for several years. She had also taken a leave of absence in December 2024.
The courts rejected that argument, citing evidence of premeditation and attempts to conceal the crime.
"Considering that Myeong committed the crime according to her plan, and that she took actions to conceal the crime afterwards, it cannot be considered that she was incapacitated mentally at the time," the top court said.
Investigators found that Myeong had thoroughly prepared for the crime, searching "how to kill a person," and reviewed recent murder cases beforehand. She also bought and concealed the weapon near where she attacked the girl, further proving that the murder was premeditated.
In what is considered one of the most shocking murders in recent years, Myeong used her position as a teacher to lure the young girl into an empty room after school, under the pretense that she wanted to give her a book. The defendant had violent outbursts in the past, physically attacking a colleague who asked how she was in December 2024, just after she had returned to work.
It is unconventional for a crime victim's name to be released to the public, but the bereaved family said they decided to release it in the hope that such tragedies would not happen again.
The Kim family also launched a civil lawsuit seeking compensation from Myeong, the principal of the school, and the Daejeon Metropolitan Government, the trial of which is still ongoing.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
