'Gangnam Station Knife Attack Warning' 30s Man Sentenced to 1 Year Imprisonment, Prosecutors Appeal

"Impersonating Police with Malicious Intent... Harsher Punishment Should Be Imposed"

The prosecution has appealed, arguing for a harsher sentence, after a man in his 30s who posted a murder threat impersonating the police on an anonymous community for office workers was sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial.

On the 28th, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office announced that it had appealed the first trial verdict against Kim, a man in his 30s charged with threats and obstruction of official duties by deception. The prosecution stated, "Considering the recent occurrence of numerous serious violent crimes targeting unspecified many people, which has heightened public anxiety and requires strict response, the deployment of 99 police officers due to the defendant, which could have infringed on the general public's right to receive appropriate emergency measures, and the malicious nature of the crime, including posting a murder threat impersonating the police, we have appealed."

Earlier, on the 22nd, Judge Jo Aram of the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 7 sentenced Kim to one year in prison with a two-year probation and ordered 240 hours of community service. Judge Jo pointed out, "Despite the ongoing reports of strict police response guidelines during a time when the brutal crime threat caused great shock and fear among citizens, the defendant posted a message threatening murder without much remorse, indicating poor criminal intent." However, the judge also considered, "The defendant admitted to the crime and showed remorse, and deleted the post within about three minutes, suggesting no actual intent to commit murder."

Police SWAT team members are patrolling the underground shopping center at Gangnam Station in Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Kim was prosecuted for posting a message titled "I will stab someone tonight at Exit 1 of Gangnam Station" on August 21 on an anonymous community board while impersonating a police officer. The police arrested Kim at his home in Seoul the following day, August 22. Investigations revealed that Kim was an ordinary office worker, not a police officer, and had purchased a fake account created using a false email address, which he used through the Blind platform.

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