<The Crime>

– Myeong Jae-wan (49), a teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon, lured a first-grade girl named Kim Ha-neul to the school’s audiovisual room after her after-school care session on February 10, 2025, telling her, she would give her a book.
– Myeong then stabbed and killed the student with a weapon she had prepared in advance.
– Prior to the attack, she had searched online for terms like “how to kill someone” and “medical student murder case,” indicating premeditation.
– Before the killing, she also kicked and destroyed a school computer and assaulted a fellow teacher.

<The Trial>

– Myeong admitted to the killing during trial but argued she should receive a reduced sentence due to diminished mental capacity caused by a psychiatric condition.
– Prosecutors rejected the mental incapacity claim, arguing she was fully aware of the nature and consequences of her actions, and sought the death penalty.
– The first instance court sentenced her to life imprisonment, acknowledging some psychological abnormality but finding it insufficient to warrant mitigation.
– The appellate court upheld the life sentence, stating that even if diminished capacity were accepted, the gravity of the offense made any reduction of sentence unjustifiable.

<The Supreme Court Decision>

– On April 2, 2026, the Supreme Court’s First Division (presiding Justice Seo Gyeong-hwan) finalized the life sentence.
– The court also confirmed a 30-year electronic monitoring order — requiring Myeong to wear a GPS tracking device upon eventual release.

<Why This Case Matters>

– This case illustrates how Korean courts handle the intersection of psychiatric defenses and the gravity of the offense — even where some mental abnormality is acknowledged, courts have consistently held that the severity of child murder overrides mitigation arguments.
– The confirmed GPS monitoring order reflects Korea’s growing use of post-release surveillance tools in serious violent offenses.
– Notably, the prosecution sought the death penalty, but all three levels of court settled on life imprisonment — a reminder that capital punishment, while still on the books in Korea, is rarely applied in practice.

Article: https://m.segye.com/view/20260402507588?OutUrl=naver