▲ Stun gun (File photo)
A teacher in his 30s at a middle school in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, was involved in an incident where he threatened arriving students with a stun gun.
The Gumi Police Station and other authorities announced that a report was received at approximately 8:14 AM today (18th) stating that a teacher, identified as A, was threatening students with a stun gun at the school gate of a middle school in Gumi.
Teacher A reportedly shouted statements such as "I'm going to die today" and "Let's die together" toward students arriving at school for about 10 minutes.
Police dispatched upon receiving the report apprehended Teacher A at the scene.
It was reported that no students or teachers were injured during this process.
Teacher A is known to have a history of taking medication related to depression.
Although Teacher A reportedly had conflicts with fellow teachers recently over student guidance issues, he has no record of disciplinary action regarding his work attitude.
However, it was also reported that he had friction with colleagues at his previous school as well.
The school confirmed that after reporting to work normally, Teacher A told colleagues he would guide arriving students, went out to the school gate, and caused a disturbance.
It was understood that there was no physical contact with other people during this process.
Deeming that Teacher A was at risk of harming himself or others, the police took emergency hospitalization measures at a local hospital.
Police plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident as soon as Teacher A is discharged.
In addition, they plan to investigate whether he violated the Child Welfare Act by engaging in emotional abuse against students in the past.
Following Teacher A's apprehension, the Gumi Office of Education dispatched 12 professional counseling teachers to the school to conduct psychological counseling for the students.
Parents were also notified regarding the details of this issue.
A 24-hour one-on-one emergency counseling system will be maintained for the time being for students experiencing high levels of anxiety.
Legal responses such as issuing an order prohibiting Teacher A from approaching students are also being considered.
The Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education stated, "We have immediately removed the teacher who caused the controversy from duty and plan to take measures such as suspension from office once police investigations commence."
It further explained, "We plan to support the swift stabilization of the school and reexamine related systems, including psychological support for educational staff, while preparing countermeasures to prevent similar cases from recurring."
(File Photo: Yonhap News)
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