40s YouTuber Caught in 28 Minutes After Saying "I Want to Kill Someone" During Personal Broadcast

First Application of Public Intimidation Law in Chungnam Region

A man in his 40s who threatened to kill random citizens during a personal YouTube broadcast was arrested by the police.

According to Yonhap News on the 2nd, the Cheonan Seobuk Police Station has detained and is investigating Mr. A (47) on charges of public intimidation. Mr. A is accused of threatening the public by saying "I want to kill someone" during a live YouTube broadcast on the street in Dujeong-dong, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, at 6:54 p.m. on the 31st of last month. One of the approximately 50 viewers watching the broadcast at the time reported it, and the police monitored the broadcast in real time and searched, arresting Mr. A as a suspect in the act within 28 minutes.

According to the police, Mr. A is unemployed and confirmed to be a YouTuber with about 500 subscribers. Mr. A is the first case in the Chungnam region to be investigated under the recently enacted public intimidation law.

Meanwhile, the public intimidation law, which came into effect on the 18th of last month, stipulates that anyone who publicly threatens to harm the life or body of an unspecified number of people can be punished with up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won. For habitual offenders, the sentence can be increased by up to half, resulting in a maximum of 7 years and 6 months in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. This is a heavier penalty than the existing intimidation law, which carries a maximum sentence of 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 5 million won.

This law was newly established following a series of crimes with abnormal motives, such as the Seohyeon Station and Sillim Station murder cases, and the continued threats against the public online, which highlighted the limitations of existing laws in responding to such threats.