Following the stabbing rampages in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, and Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, online posts predicting murders have been appearing one after another. The National Police Agency, which has taken strong measures, announced on the 6th that it had apprehended a total of 46 individuals who wrote murder prediction posts by noon of that day.
Police Chief Yoon Hee-geun is conducting a special security activity site inspection at Jamsil Station, Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 5th. [Photo by National Police Agency]
According to the National Police Agency, the number of arrests related to online murder prediction posts, which was 18 as of noon the previous day, increased by as many as 28 in just one day, reaching a total of 46.
The police arrested a teenager, identified as A, at home around 5:47 p.m. the previous day after he posted on Instagram, "I will kill 20 people at Gyeyang Station at 7 o'clock." The suspect who threatened a stabbing rampage at Busan Seomyeon Station, identified as Navy Private B, was handed over to the military police after being apprehended by the police.
Since the stabbing incident in Sillim-dong on the 21st of last month, posts predicting murders, which had been sporadically appearing, have surged nationwide following the Seohyeon-dong incident on the 3rd. However, it is known that a significant number of those arrested are minors, most of whom have stated that "it was a joke." C (17), who was caught in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon Province, after writing that he would stab people at Wonju Station, was found to have staged a hoax by reporting his own post through social media.
As stabbing rampages were followed by a series of murder predictions, public anxiety increased, prompting the police to track down each author of the posts reported to 112 and vow to strictly punish them. However, on the other hand, the police have also requested restraint, arguing that police resources are being wasted on tracking and apprehending these individuals.
Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, visited the special security operation site at Jamsil Station the previous day and said, "I think this might be a form of imitation or a kind of hero complex," adding, "I sincerely ask and warn people to refrain from irresponsibly writing murder prediction posts." Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok also instructed at the 'Emergency Meeting on Strict Response to Serious Violent Crimes' held that morning, "Actively apply all possible criminal laws, including charges of threats, murder preparation, and obstruction of official duties by deception."
The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency plans to hold an emergency video conference at 4 p.m. that day, chaired by Director Woo Jong-su, with executives from police agencies nationwide attending, to discuss investigations related to murder prediction posts.
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