A family member of Kim Ha-neul, an 8-year-old stabbing victim, carries her portrait during her funeral service in Daejeon, Feb. 14. Yonhap

Police investigating last week's murder of an 8-year-old student by her teacher in the central city of Daejeon said Wednesday the crime was apparently premeditated.

The first-grade student was found with stab wounds in an empty school classroom on Feb. 10, and the female teacher in her 40s, whose family name is Myeong, admitted to stabbing the girl to death for unknown reasons.

The investigation team at the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said that Myeong searched the internet for murder weapons and articles about past murder cases beforehand in what appears to be part of the process of preparing for the crime.

The team said it has secured information on the preparation of her crime tools, testimonies from related parties and her phone records before concluding tentatively that it was a planned crime.

"We'll identify the motive for the crime by extensively examining all circumstances through her hospital records, family, fellow teachers and friends," said an investigation team official.

Myeong, who attempted suicide after the crime, underwent venous suturing surgery and is now recovering in an intensive care unit.

The police's interrogation of the teacher is likely to be delayed, as she is currently wearing an oxygen mask and is having difficulty conversing, the official said. (Yonhap)