More Than Half of Arrested Murder Threat Writers Are Teenagers

187 Murder Threat Posts as of 7 AM on the 7th
59 Authors Arrested, 3 Detained Under Investigation

More than half of the individuals arrested for posting murder threats online were teenagers. The police have announced that they will maintain a strict response policy toward these murder threat posts that have caused public fear.

On the 7th, Woo Jong-su, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, stated at a press briefing, “As of 7 a.m. today, a total of 187 murder threat posts have been uploaded nationwide and are under investigation,” adding, “Among them, 59 people have been apprehended and 3 have been detained.”

As of 6 p.m. the previous day, the number of arrests related to murder threat posts was 54, meaning 5 more individuals were caught by the police within 13 hours. Woo said, “Cyber investigation units in each metropolitan and provincial police agency have assigned dedicated personnel to search for murder threat posts, and some investigations are being conducted based on reports received.”

In particular, it was found that over half of those arrested?54% as of 6 p.m. on the 6th?were teenagers. Woo stated, “We are explaining through educational authorities, schools, and local online communities that posting such threats is punishable, and we are strengthening education through SPOs (School Police Officers). Some metropolitan police agencies have been closely maintaining this cooperative system since last weekend.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The National Investigation Headquarters previously classified the act of posting threats of heinous crimes such as murder as a matter threatening public safety and announced that they would actively apply criminal provisions such as threats under the Criminal Act, attempted murder, and obstruction of official duties by deception. From the early stages of investigation, the police and prosecution have been sharing investigation details, thoroughly gathering information about the crimes, and considering detention investigations as part of their strict response.

Woo explained, “If specific details identifying the subject are presented and the process of attempting to commit the crime is proven, we will actively consider applying the charge of attempted murder,” adding, “Even if the posts target an unspecified large number of people, if there are criteria that can limit the scope, we plan to boldly apply charges such as threats.”

Meanwhile, regarding the incident in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, where a middle school student was injured during a police arrest following a mistaken report of a weapon rampage, Woo said, “Multiple reports were received, and with the public’s anxiety high, the police officers’ enthusiasm was excessive,” adding, “We regret that the student was injured and will urge field officers to comply with due process in law enforcement to prevent such accidents in the future.”

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