School reopens 7 days after Ha-neul’s death; parents remain anxious

"My kid and I argued for over 30 minutes this morning. I understand why she doesn't want to go, and I'm still anxious about sending her to school. Ugh."

Ms. Kim, 45, a parent of a third-grade daughter in Seo-gu, Daejeon, said this on Monday in front of the school where Kim Ha-neul, 8, was killed at the hands of a teacher. She was walking to school with her daughter and repeatedly urged her to “call Mom as soon as school is over.” She called her daughter’s name and waved until she disappeared into the school building. The school reopened seven days after Ha-neul was murdered by Ms. Myeong, 48, a teacher at the school, on Feb. 10.

On Monday, when school reopened, most lower-graders walked to school with their parents. Fifteen police officers, including a school resource officer, were stationed in front of the school from 8 a.m. Classes ended around 11 a.m. The school distributed notices about school life and provided psychological counseling to students who wanted it. About 20 minutes before dismissal, parents began gathering again. When the children came out, the parents asked if everything was okay. Mr. Kim Min-sung, 41, said, “I was anxious, so after dropping off my child, I circled around the school and waited for my child.”

The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency plans to deploy seven or eight members of a mobile patrol unit to patrol schools for the time being. The Daejeon Metropolitan City Office of Education has set up a counseling team of professional counselors to support the school's staff and parents. Meanwhile, Myung has not yet been interviewed by police, as the medical team has determined that she is in no condition to be questioned. The police are considering whether to release Myung's identity.


Kim Tae Young live@donga.com