Ministry of Justice to File Compensation Lawsuit Against Poster of 'Murder Threat' Message

The Ministry of Justice has decided to actively file civil lawsuits seeking damages for illegal acts, separate from criminal punishment, against those who post 'murder threats.'

On the 24th, the Ministry of Justice stated, "Recently, murder threat posts have spread like a trend on the internet, causing anxiety among the public and leading to the deployment of large-scale police forces, resulting in a massive waste of public authority and hindering the proper exercise of law enforcement in responding to crimes." They added, "Posting murder threat messages is subject to criminal punishment and, regardless of the circumstances, motives, actual intent to execute, or the age of the perpetrator, constitutes a tort under civil law."

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

In fact, courts have recognized liability for damages due to tort when police officers are dispatched and conduct searches or other activities in response to false reports.

The Ministry of Justice said, "In consultation with the police and related agencies, we plan to actively file civil lawsuits seeking damages for torts, separate from criminal punishment, against those who post murder threat messages, claiming compensation for the significant amount of public funds wasted due to the misuse of public authority."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice is promoting amendments to the Criminal Act to establish the crime of 'public intimidation,' which threatens public safety through indiscriminate crime threats to an unspecified number of people.

On the 9th, the Ministry of Justice stated, "Accepting the 'proposal for legal amendments related to public intimidation' from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, we plan to introduce criminal punishment provisions in related laws such as the Information and Communications Network Act, referring to legislative examples in countries like the United States and Germany that punish acts of intimidation against the public." They added, "We will punish the dissemination or public posting of words that cause fear for the life and body of the public, such as murder threats to an unspecified number of people, and prepare the legal basis to block the distribution of related information in cooperation with the Korea Communications Commission and others."

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon said, "Posting murder threat messages is a serious crime that causes anxiety among many citizens and obstructs the proper exercise of national public authority, and we will hold offenders accountable not only criminally but also civilly."

According to the Cyber Investigation Division of the National Police Agency, as of 9 a.m. on the same day, the police have investigated 462 murder threat posts, arrested 216 people, and among them, 21 have been detained.

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