High schooler who stabbed teacher escapes criminal punishment

A high school student who stabbed a teacher he believed had singled him out for scolding during middle school has been referred to juvenile court rather than face criminal punishment.

The Nonsan Branch of Daejeon District Court's First Criminal Division, presided over by Chief Judge Oh Myeong-hui, ruled Wednesday to transfer the case of the 17-year-old defendant, identified only as A, to the juvenile division of Daejeon Family Court. A had been indicted on charges of attempted murder.

The court acknowledged the gravity of the offense, noting that the victim required eight weeks of treatment and was left with permanent scarring. However, it cited A's age of 17, the fact that he had already been held in detention for five months, and the role his mental state played in the crime as mitigating factors.

The court also noted that A had turned himself in to police after the attack and had no prior criminal record. It further took into account that the victim had received 50 million won ($37,200) from A and had submitted a letter to the court asking for leniency.

"Taking into account A's age, family circumstances, motive, and the circumstances of the crime, it is more appropriate to allow him to return to society through a juvenile protective disposition than through criminal punishment," the court said, citing Article 50 of the Juvenile Act as the basis for the transfer to Daejeon Family Court.

Article 50 of the Juvenile Act states that a court must refer a juvenile defendant's case to the competent juvenile division if, after reviewing the case, it finds grounds for a protective disposition.

A was indicted on charges of attempting to kill teacher B, a person in their 30s, at a high school in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province, at around 8:44 a.m. on April 13. The teacher sustained injuries requiring eight weeks of treatment. A fled the scene after the attack but called 112 to turn himself in about five minutes later.

According to investigators, A had harbored a long-standing grievance against B, who had been his subject teacher in middle school, believing B had singled him out for harsh criticism and scolding. The two crossed paths again earlier this year when B was assigned to the high school A attended. A had been refusing to attend school at the time and, in the week before the attack, had been going to an alternative school in another area.

A planned the attack in advance, arriving at the school that day with a weapon. He carried out the stabbing inside the principal's office while meeting with B, seizing the moment when the principal stepped away. Before the incident, A had told the principal during a meeting that he "cannot erase the memory of the teacher scolding me" and that he had been suffering from trauma. B, for his part, said he remembered A but denied ever having scolded or reprimanded him excessively.