Flowers, dolls and snacks are placed at the fence of an elementary school in Daejeon, Feb. 12, in memory of Kim Ha-neul, a student there who was stabbed to death by a teacher on Feb. 10. Newsis

The family of a first-grader who was fatally stabbed by a teacher at school earlier this month is expected to receive approximately 600 million won ($420,000) in compensation from the state.

According to education authorities on Monday, the Daejeon office of the School Safety and Insurance Federation (SSIF), a state-funded body that offers compensation to students over safety incidents, will soon begin the process of compensating the family for the death of Kim Ha-neul, 7, who was killed on Feb. 10 by a teacher with a history of mental health problems.

The compensation amount for the bereaved family of a victim is determined based on the individual's expected future earnings as outlined in the State Compensation Act, along with financial support for funeral expenses.

Given that the law allows the institution to charge the expense of compensation to a person who caused the safety incident deliberately or by gross negligence, officials said they plan to do so.

The SSIF said it recently discussed the matter with her family members, who are still coping with the shocking tragedy.

"A teacher's criminal act resulting in death is believed to be included in the scope of events for which the SSIF is responsible and we are preparing for a compensation request," said an official. "While we recognize that no amount of money can replace their loss, we will seek to compensate them to the fullest extent permitted by law."

Meanwhile, investigators have collected evidence suggesting that the suspect planned the murder in advance.

According to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police, the suspect, in her 40s, searched online news articles about murder cases and information about tools that can be used to kill people.

Police also found that she had bought a knife during the lunch break, just hours before she attacked the girl with it "dozens of times."

But the motive behind the murder — why the teacher targeted a student she did not even know well and why she killed her in such a brutal way — continue to remain unclear.

Two weeks have passed since the killing. However, the suspect has not been questioned by police yet as she is still recovering from her self-inflicted injuries at a hospital. Authorities have been waiting for her condition to stabilize, based on her doctor's recommendations.

With many questions remaining unanswered, legislation efforts to prevent such incidents have stalled.

Her symptoms of depression were initially suspected as one of the causes that triggered her aggression. Nearly 10 bills proposed by lawmakers after the incident focused largely on how to manage teachers with a history of depression and other mental health disorders.

But many experts, including doctors at the Korean Medical Association, have questioned the assumption, saying those suffering from depression tend to hurt themselves, not others.

Her behavior and aggression in the past may be linked to other medical conditions. According to a report by the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, soon after being taken to a hospital emergency room that day, the suspect laughed out loud while bleeding and being treated for her injuries.