First Arrest Warrant for 'Public Threat' Against 30-Year-Old Man Who Threatened "Yoon Impeachment Will Lead to Weapon Rampage"

First Case Since the Law Took Effect on the 18th

A man in his 30s who posted threatening messages on social networking services (SNS), saying he would cause a disturbance with a weapon if President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment trial were accepted, is now facing detention. This is the first case since the establishment of the 'public intimidation crime' on the 18th.

On the 11th, as the impeachment ruling for President Yoon Seok-yeol approaches, pro- and anti-impeachment groups clashed, expressing their opinions in front of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.3.11. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong

Yonhap News reported on the 26th that the Yongin Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. A on charges of public intimidation. Mr. A is suspected of threatening an unspecified number of people by posting messages such as "I will get rid of those spies" and "Wait for me, I’m coming with a sickle" on SNS around 10 p.m. on the 22nd. This is the first time in history that the police have booked a suspect who wrote so-called 'murder prediction posts' under the charge of public intimidation and applied for an arrest warrant.

Investigations revealed that Mr. A committed the crime after becoming emotionally agitated upon seeing posts and videos related to President Yoon’s impeachment trial following the '12.3 Emergency Martial Law' incident last year. The police began investigating after a netizen’s report and arrested Mr. A within three days.

At the police station, Mr. A reportedly stated that if the Constitutional Court accepted the impeachment trial against President Yoon, he intended to bring weapons and incendiary materials to harm an unspecified number of people and wrote posts on SNS accordingly. Based on such statements, the police judged that Mr. A could be charged with public intimidation under the Criminal Act.

The public intimidation crime is a newly established law that punishes acts that create fear or threaten an unspecified number of people, such as 'online murder predictions.' This law was introduced following a series of abnormal motive crimes, including the 2023 Seohyeon Station stabbing and the Sillim Station murder, and repeated threats targeting the public online, which exposed limitations in the existing law’s ability to respond.

According to the public intimidation crime, effective from the 18th, anyone who publicly threatens the public with harm to the life or body of an unspecified or numerous people shall be punished by imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 20 million won. For habitual offenders, an aggravated punishment clause includes imprisonment of up to 7 years and 6 months or a fine of up to 30 million won. This is a heavier penalty than the existing threat crime, which carries a maximum of 3 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 5 million won.

The pretrial detention hearing for Mr. A is scheduled to be held at Suwon District Court at 3 p.m. on the same day. The decision on whether to issue the arrest warrant is expected to be announced that evening. A police official stated, "We plan to respond strictly by applying for arrest warrants for threats targeting the public in the future as well."