Online 'Murder Threats' Lead to Arrests of 149 People... Nearly Half Are Teenagers

After the 'Shillim-dong weapon rampage' incident, it was revealed that nearly 150 people were caught by the police for posting murder threats on the internet. Nearly half of them were teenagers.

A man in his 20s, Mr. A, who posted a message online threatening to kill a woman at Sillim Station, is leaving the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu after completing the pre-arrest detention hearing on the afternoon of the 27th last month. / Photo by Yonhap News

As of 9 a.m. on the 14th, the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency confirmed 354 murder threat posts nationwide, apprehended 149 authors, and detained 15 of them, the agency announced. Among the suspects caught, 47.7% (71 individuals) were teenagers.

The police are investigating by applying charges including threats, special threats, as well as murder preparation and obstruction of official duties by deception, depending on the investigation details.

For suspects who are juvenile offenders (aged 10 or older but under 14), although they are not subject to criminal punishment, they will be sent to the juvenile court under the Juvenile Act and receive juvenile protection measures ranging from Type 1 (custody placement) to Type 10 (long-term juvenile detention center placement).

A police official stated, "We regard the indiscriminate posting of heinous crime threats online as a serious criminal act and are mobilizing all investigative resources to swiftly track down and apprehend the posters."

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