A man in his 30s who posted a 'plane terror' threat comment on an internet broadcast receives a suspended prison sentence

A man in his 30s who was arrested and prosecuted for posting "I will terrorize an airplane" in a chatroom while watching an internet broadcast was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial.

According to the legal community on the 10th, Judge Han Sohee of Criminal Division 10 at Suwon District Court sentenced Mr. A, who was charged with obstruction of official duties by deception and intimidation, to 10 months in prison with a 2-year suspension. At the same time, he was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service.

The judge stated, "The defendant's crime caused a waste of police resources and various social harms by creating social unrest. However, it appears that the defendant had no intention to carry out the threat, and consideration was given to his remorse."

Mr. A is accused of posting a threatening comment on December 22 last year around 8 p.m. during an internet broadcast when the host said, "Tonight at 10, I will board a flight from Jeju to Incheon." He commented, "Hello. I am the airplane terrorist. I will terrorize the 10 o'clock flight."

A citizen watching the broadcast reported Mr. A to the police after seeing the comment. The Cyber Investigation Division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency notified the Jeju police and tracked Mr. A, who was at his residence on the same day, and arrested him urgently. Due to Mr. A's comment, police special forces were deployed at Jeju Airport, conducting bomb inspections and patrol activities for three hours.

During the investigation, Mr. A stated, "I did it as a joke."

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