Teachers from an elementary school in Daejeon, where a teacher fatally stabbed a student, wait in front of the funeral hall for Kim Ha-neul, the 7-year-old victim, Tuesday. Yonhap

The tragic stabbing death of a 7-year-old girl by a teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon has highlighted the glaring lack of a systematic mental health management framework and legal protections for educators in Korea.

Reports reveal that the teacher had exhibited symptoms of depression and aggressive behavior toward a colleague prior to the incident, prompting speculation that her mental health issues may have contributed to the attack.

However, experts caution against hastily attributing depression as the primary motive for the tragedy, warning that doing so could contribute to stigmatizing such people as potential criminals.

According to sources within the education sector, there are no legal provisions or enforcement measures in place to separate teachers with mental health issues from students, even if warning signs arise, not only during the hiring process, but also throughout their tenure.

The teacher who stabbed the first-grader in Daejeon, located about 160 kilometers south of Seoul, had taken a six-month leave in December last year due to depression. However, the teacher returned to work abruptly after only 20 days after submitting a hospital diagnosis.

Under existing regulations governing teachers' leave and reinstatement, as well as national civil service rules, a teacher on medical leave can resume work simply by submitting a doctor's note, without further review.

Reportedly, the teacher had displayed violent behavior toward a colleague after being asked how she was doing, just four days before the stabbing. Additionally, the day before the incident, she also damaged a school computer, complaining about the slow access to the education office's portal.

The school reported the incidents to the Daejeon Metropolitan City Office of Education, prompting an inspector from the office to visit and recommend a separation measure. However, no action was taken. Due to refusal by the teacher and the school, there was no in-person investigation, and the tragedy occurred shortly afterward.

Paik Jong-woo, a professor of psychiatry at Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, expressed disappointment over the lack of action taken despite prior reports and investigations into the teacher's violent behavior.

"I believe there is a significant sense of regret over whether the outcome could have been different or the tragedy prevented if a qualified psychiatrist had been involved and a proper mental health assessment had been conducted," he said.

The measures taken were carried out by education experts, not psychiatrists, with the investigation also being handled entirely by the education office.

A school official and citizens use umbrellas to cover flowers and letters left by mourners along the fence of an elementary school in Daejeon, Wednesday, where the tragic killing of a 7-year-old girl occurred two days earlier. Yonhap

Although all provincial and metropolitan education offices have established dedicated committees to assess the ability of teachers with mental or physical illnesses to perform their duties, these committees have been largely ineffective, according to experts.

According to the Daejeon education office's regulations, if a case involving a teacher with a health condition is reported through complaints, audits or requests from the head of an institution, or if the issue is identified internally, the education superintendent is obligated to initiate an investigation.

However, due to strong opposition from those involved and the limited enforcement power under local regulations, decisions are rarely reached, and organizing the committee meetings is often a challenge.

The committee in Daejeon has not reviewed any cases over the past two years. Similarly, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has not held a single review since 2021.

Data shows the mental health of educators appears to be worsening.

According to data submitted by Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, 9,468 teachers and other elementary school staffers received treatment for depression in 2023. The number of teachers per 1,000 elementary school workers receiving treatment for depression was 37.2, more than double the 2018 rate of 16.4.

This trend has sparked calls for a comprehensive, national-level approach to managing educators' mental health.

Paik emphasized the need for a system that allows schools to seek assistance from mental health specialists in addressing these issues.

"This is not just a school problem — it could worsen because schools lack a system for seeking help," he said.

However, there are also criticisms cautioning against attributing the incidents solely to depression. Experts argue that depression is a self-harming condition, not one that typically results in harm to others.

"While it is clear that the incident in Daejeon was committed under abnormal motivations, most individuals suffering from depression tend to harm themselves rather than others," Paik said.

He warned that blaming this medical history as the sole cause for such behavior is excessive and risks reinforcing societal stigma, which could further prejudice against the very depression patients who need treatment the most.