‘Sillim Station Murder Threat Post’… Court: "Review Needed to Determine if It Constitutes Threatening Crime"

Regarding the act of posting a message on the internet threatening to kill an unspecified number of people, the court expressed the need to review whether the charge of intimidation is applicable. This is in the case of Mr. Lee (26), who was indicted on charges of posting a message threatening to kill 20 women in Sillim-dong, Seoul, where a stabbing incident occurred, and actually ordering a weapon.

On the 25th, Judge Yang Jin-ho of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 23 held the first trial of Mr. Lee, who was detained and indicted on charges of attempted murder, intimidation, and violation of the Information and Communications Network Act.

A man in his 30s, Mr. A, who posted a threatening message on the internet stating he would kill 20 women at Sillim Station in Seoul, appeared at the pre-arrest detention hearing at Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 22nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the establishment of the intimidation charge, the court stated, "There must be a recipient who receives the threatening expression, but merchants near Sillim Station who did not directly see the post likely learned about it through news articles rather than the post itself," and added, "This requires further review." Concerning the violation of the Information and Communications Network Act, the court said, "Generally, this applies to cases where a specific individual is made to feel anxious through comments, texts, or KakaoTalk messages, but it is questionable whether posting the message itself falls under this." The court indicated that no specific victims who were threatened or felt anxious due to Mr. Lee’s post have been identified.

The prosecution argued, "There have been cases where a person repeatedly posting threatening messages on sports game streaming sites was convicted under the Information and Communications Network Act," and added, "Female users who directly saw the posts testified that the defendant continuously posted messages from the same IP address, causing fear and stress." Mr. Lee admitted to all the charges against him.

Mr. Lee was brought to trial on charges of purchasing a weapon measuring 32.5 cm in length with the intent to kill women passing near Sillim Station on the 24th of last month, and posting a message on an internet bulletin board stating, "On Wednesday at Sillim Station, I will kill 20 women."

Mr. Lee was charged with intimidation for threatening the readers of the post, and with violation of the Information and Communications Network Act for writing misogynistic messages. Charges of attempted murder were applied for purchasing the weapon and for searching on his phone for photos of serial killers Yoo Young-chul, Lee Chun-jae, Jeon Joo-hwan, and images depicting hesitation about indiscriminate killing.

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