"Ten Gwanghwamun Protesters Will Be Beaten"... 20-Year-Old Arrested for Posting Photo of Weapon

Statement to police: "I did not intend to cause harm"

Amid a rally calling for the resignation of the government taking place in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, controversy arose after a man in his 20s posted a message online threatening to intimidate protesters with a weapon. The police immediately launched an investigation and apprehended the man.

According to Yonhap News on the 6th, the day before, a man in his 20s identified as A posted on social media platforms such as Instagram and Threads, criticizing the Gwanghwamun rally with the message, "After the rally starts at 3 PM, I will beat up only 10 aggressive protesters."

Photo posted by Mr. A. Instagram capture

He also posted a photo holding a weapon with the caption, "I will mainly target people estimated to be in their 30s and 40s. Sounds like a joke, right?" Additionally, A uploaded photos of the crowd and the rally site, presumed to be participants of the Gwanghwamun rally.

Citizens who saw A’s posts online reported to the police, expressing concerns such as "It looks dangerous that someone carrying a weapon is in Gwanghwamun." Subsequently, the police identified the poster’s personal information through account details and arrested A, who resides in Daejeon.

Posts predicting assault uploaded on threads and other SNS. Thread capture

During the police investigation, A stated, "It is true that I posted the message, but the weapon was a tool for self-defense and I did not intend to harm anyone." He also deleted the problematic post and posted an apology on his account, expressing regret for causing social unrest.

The police are investigating the specific circumstances of the incident and plan to comprehensively assess whether A threatened anyone with the weapon to apply charges accordingly.