High School Student Who Attacked Teacher with a Weapon Over a “Grudge Dating Back to Middle School” Referred to Juvenile Division Instead of Facing Criminal Punishment

[Financial News]  A court has decided to refer a high school student who injured a teacher by attacking him with a weapon over grievances he had harbored since middle school to the juvenile division instead of imposing criminal punishment.
Yonhap News reported on the 7th that the first criminal panel of the Nonsan Branch of the Daejeon District Court, presided over by Judge Oh Myeong-hui, had decided to refer A, 17, who was indicted on charges of attempted murder, to the Juvenile Division of the Daejeon Family Court.
Under the Juvenile Act, if a court hears a case involving a juvenile under 19 and finds grounds for protective dispositions aimed at correcting the juvenile’s behavior, it refers the case to the juvenile division. A juvenile whose case is referred there may receive one of dispositions numbered 1 through 10 instead of criminal punishment, ranging from “entrustment to a guardian” to “long-term placement in a juvenile reformatory.”
A was indicted on charges of attempting to kill B, a male teacher in his 30s, by stabbing him several times with a weapon at a high school in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province, at around 8:44 a.m. on April 13.
Investigators found that A had harbored resentment since middle school because he believed B singled him out for particularly harsh criticism or scolding.
After B was transferred to the high school A attended and the two met again, A refused to go to school. The school then suggested placing him in an alternative school program, and he was reportedly attending an alternative school in another region.
On the day of the attack, A went to the school carrying a weapon he had prepared in advance and requested a meeting in the principal’s office. The principal called B and then left the room, leaving the two alone, at which point A carried out the attack, according to reports.
A fled immediately after the attack, then voluntarily called 112 and reported, “I stabbed someone.” He was subsequently taken into emergency custody by police.
B, who suffered injuries to his neck and other areas, was taken to hospital but was reportedly not in life-threatening condition.
At the final hearing held on the 2nd of last month, the prosecutor told the court that the offense was serious because A had stabbed his teacher with a weapon, and asked it to impose a prison sentence with a long term of four years and a short term of two years and six months.
In his final statement, A said, “I caused my teacher pain through my wrongful actions,” and pleaded, “I will never use violence again and will resolve conflicts through conversation.”
The court ruled, “The defendant is a juvenile who is only 17 and has been detained for the past five months, during which he has shown remorse. It appears that the mental health problems he experienced before this offense also influenced his actions.”
The court added, “After the offense, he reported himself to police and turned himself in, and he has no prior history of criminal punishment or juvenile protective dispositions. The victim is asking the court to rule in a way that will allow A to grow into a well-adjusted adolescent through appropriate treatment and education,” explaining its decision to refer the case to the juvenile division.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter