"Going to Yongsan" "6 bullets left"... 40s man who posted presidential terror threat surrenders

A security robot guarding the front yard of the Presidential Office near Yongsan Park, which was opened on a trial basis to the general public on the 10th near the Presidential Office in Yongsan Park, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A man in his 40s who posted online messages seemingly hinting at a terror attack against President Yoon Suk-yeol has turned himself in to the police.

On the 10th, the Michuhol Police Station in Incheon announced that they are investigating Mr. A on suspicion of attempted threats. Mr. A is accused of posting messages implying harm to President Yoon, such as "I am planning to go sightseeing in Seoul; where is a good place to visit? I am thinking of going to Yongdon (Yongsan) first," and "I still have six bullets left." Yongsan refers to the location of the presidential office, and the six bullets are presumed to refer to live rounds that went missing in May this year from the 101 Security Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which caused controversy.

Earlier, the police began a preliminary investigation after receiving a report that a message threatening to carry out a terror attack on President Yoon was posted on an online community in the early hours of the previous day. The police applied for a search warrant for the online community company where the message was posted to trace the author, but the prosecution rejected the warrant, stating that the message alone did not clearly indicate a criminal offense or intent. Mr. A deleted the post himself but is believed to have turned himself in after confirming media reports about himself.

Mr. A reportedly told the police that "I posted the message as a joke." The police plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the case with Mr. A and then decide on the course of action regarding his custody.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.