IVE sends funeral wreath to first grader killed in Daejeon school attack

A portrait of Kim Ha-neul is placed at her memorial altar at Konyang University Hospital funeral hall in Daejeon, Tuesday. Yonhap

K-pop girl group IVE sent a condolence wreath to the funeral of Kim Ha-neul, a 7-year-old girl who was stabbed to death by a teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon.

A condolence wreath from IVE was placed in front of Kim’s funeral hall at Konyang University Hospital in Daejeon on Wednesday. Kim, a first grader and devoted fan of IVE member Jang Won-young, had dreamed of becoming a singer like her.

“Ha-neul loved to dance, and her dream was to become a singer like Jang Won-young of IVE,” Kim’s father said in an interview. “Even when her younger sibling wanted to watch "Pororo" (a popular Korean animated children's series), she insisted on watching Jang Won-young instead.”

He added, “For her birthday, she asked for IVE photo cards. Now, my daughter’s dream has been shattered.”

Kim’s father also expressed a heartfelt wish, saying, “If Jang Won-young could say a warm farewell to our Ha-neul on her way, we would be deeply grateful.”

In response, IVE and its agency, Starship Entertainment, sent a condolence wreath and photo cards in memory of Kim, offering their sympathies to the bereaved family.

Kim was killed on Monday after being stabbed by a female teacher in her 40s inside the audiovisual room of an elementary school in Daejeon. A court issued an arrest warrant and a search warrant for the suspect on Tuesday, and police plan to question her about the crime as soon as possible.

The suspect, a full-time teacher, had taken a leave of absence due to depression and returned to work in December.

Kim’s funeral is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday. Her burial will take place at Daejeon Memorial Park.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.