"Despite Plans to Establish Punishment Regulations for 'Murder Threat Posts'... Related Bills Are on Track for Parliamentary Rejection"

Last summer, as citizens grew anxious over a series of online 'murder threat posts,' bills to strengthen punishments were repeatedly proposed in the National Assembly, but none were even submitted to the relevant standing committee, making it virtually impossible to pass them within the 21st National Assembly's term. Experts point out that murder threat posts should be defined as 'terrorist acts' and punished through legal amendments.

According to the National Assembly's legislative information system on the 16th, three amendment bills to the Information and Communications Network Act related to punishing murder threat posts were proposed during the 21st National Assembly, but none have been submitted to the relevant standing committee, the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee. The amendment bills, each introduced in August by Kim Young-sik, Kim Yong-pan, and Hong Seok-jun of the People Power Party, specify punishment provisions such as imprisonment or fines if heinous crimes are threatened online against unspecified many. However, even after three months, the bills have not been discussed once in the committee, and with the general election scheduled for April next year, it is highly likely that the bills will be discarded due to the expiration of the term.

Following the July 21 incident near Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, where Chosun (33) attacked four people with a weapon, and the August 3 stabbing incident by Choi Won-jong (22) at Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, online posts predicting copycat crimes continued to appear. According to the National Police Agency, 487 posts threatening heinous crimes were confirmed over the two months of July and August. As citizens expressed anxiety over the repeated murder threat posts, police dispatches also increased. In the month following the Sillim Station stabbing incident, the number of police personnel dispatched reached 17,503, including 4,800 auxiliary security personnel from the Autonomous Crime Prevention Unit.

As the seriousness of the problem grew, the government also indicated a strong response. On August 24, Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, stated, "Posting murder threat posts is a serious crime that causes public anxiety and obstructs the proper exercise of public authority," adding, "We will hold not only criminal but also civil liability." He also mentioned plans to push for legal amendments related to punishment provisions for public threats. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office also instructed local prosecutors to strictly respond by prosecuting murder threat post authors formally whenever possible, even if they are juvenile offenders, and the police strongly responded by booking and transferring even elementary school students who posted murder threat posts to juvenile courts. In fact, countries like the United States and Germany also have separate provisions punishing acts of public threats.

A man in his 20s, Mr. A, who posted a message online threatening to kill a woman at Sillim Station, is leaving the court after completing the pre-trial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the afternoon of July 27.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, due to legal deficiencies, actual punishments remain minimal. On the 8th, Judge Yang Jin-ho of the 23rd Criminal Division at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Lee (26), who was indicted for threats, attempted murder, and violation of the Information and Communications Network Act, to eight months in prison with a two-year probation. Lee was accused of repeatedly posting murder threat posts on online communities from March to July, saying things like "I want to tie up and kill all Han-nyeo (Korean women)." However, the court ruled that "although some violent expressions exist, it is difficult to see that they themselves caused fear," and acquitted him of the Information and Communications Network Act violation charge. Also, on August 8, a man in his 30s, A, who said, "I will stab and kill someone at Cheongnyangni Station in Seoul," was indicted only for obstruction of official duties by deception and was sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial.

Experts emphasize the need for strong punishment for murder threat posts targeting unspecified many, equating them to terrorist acts. Shin Min-young, lead attorney at Hoam Law Firm, said, "Under current law, charges such as threats and attempted murder can only be properly applied if the target is specified," adding, "Even in the 22nd National Assembly, legal amendments should be made to eliminate blind spots."

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