Daejeon: The Supreme Court has upheld a life sentence for a teacher, Myeong Jae-wan, convicted of murdering a 7-year-old student, Kim Ha-neul, in Daejeon. The incident occurred last year when the teacher lured the student to a classroom and fatally stabbed her.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Myeong, aged 49, was also found guilty of vandalizing school property and assaulting a fellow teacher in the days leading up to the murder. Despite admitting to the murder, Myeong claimed to be in a mentally impaired state at the time of the crime.
The prosecution had pushed for the death penalty, but both the district court and the appellate court sentenced Myeong to life imprisonment. In addition to the life sentence, Myeong was ordered to wear an electronic tracking device for 30 years, a decision also upheld by the Supreme Court.