Myeong Jae-wan (48). Provided by Daejeon Police Agency, the identity of the teacher accused of murdering Kim Ha-neul (8), a first-grade student at an elementary school in Daejeon, has been disclosed. According to Yonhap News, the Daejeon Police Agency revealed Myeong’s name, age, and photo on the 12th under the “Act on the Disclosure of Information on Specific Serious Crime Suspects.” The police decided to disclose this information after considering the brutality of the crime, the severity of the victim’s harm, and the opinions of the victim’s family in a meeting held the previous afternoon.
However, the police warned that sharing information beyond the suspect’s identity or publicly revealing family or acquaintances on social media could lead to criminal charges. Previously, Myeong was accused of luring Ha-neul, who was leaving an after-school class, into the audiovisual room and killing her with a weapon at around 5:50 PM on the 10th of last month, while working at the elementary school. After the crime, Myeong attempted to harm himself and was treated at a hospital. After assessing his health has improved, the police executed a warrant for his arrest on the 7th and detained him the following day.
During the police investigation, he confessed, stating, “I was annoyed just three days after returning to work. The vice-principal didn’t allow me to enter the class.” Myeong’s personal information will be available on the Daejeon Police Agency’s website for 30 days, until the 11th of next month.