High School Student Seriously Injures Teacher with Knife; Arrest Warrant Sought

An incident occurred at a high school in Gyeryong, Chungnam, where a third-year student wielded a knife, causing serious injuries to a teacher. Around 8:44 AM on the 13th, third-year student A repeatedly struck male teacher B, in his 30s, with a knife in the principal's office at the Gyeryong high school. Teacher B, who sustained severe injuries, was transported to the hospital in a condition that is not life-threatening.

Immediately after the crime, the student surrendered to the police, and an arrest warrant was sought on charges of attempted murder. Student A fled briefly after the incident but surrendered to the police within five minutes and was taken into emergency custody on suspicion of attempted murder. Police investigations revealed that A had harbored resentment towards B, who was the head of student affairs when A was in middle school, believing B had severely reprimanded him. A had reportedly been refusing to attend school, citing trauma, after B was recently assigned to the same high school. On the day of the incident, A was scheduled to attend alternative school but went to the high school, requested a meeting with the principal, and attacked B with a pre-prepared knife while the principal was out.

This incident heightens awareness regarding the recent spate of school violence and infringements on teachers' rights. Prior to this case, on the 31st of last month, a second-year male student at a middle school in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, assaulted a female teacher during a physical education class, leaving her with serious injuries requiring six weeks of recovery. Last year, a student also assaulted a teacher at a high school in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Incidents infringing on teachers during educational activities have surged from 1,197 cases in 2020 to 5,050 in 2023, with injuries and assaults by students increasing from 106 cases in 2020 to 488 in 2023 and 502 in 2024.

The Korean Teachers' and Educational Workers' Union (KTU) and the Chungnam chapter of the Korean Teachers' and Workers' Union (GTU) released statements regarding the successive attacks on teachers. They called for support for the victimized teachers' protection and recovery, as well as thorough investigation and legal accountability for the students involved. They also argued that current laws and systems fail to adequately protect educators and demanded the strengthening of the educational activity protection framework and the development of measures to safeguard teachers' rights.