Police Deployment Over False Murder Threat
"Taxpayer Money Wasted"
Full Amount of Government’s Claim Granted
The court has ruled that a man in his 30s who posted a false murder threat online, claiming he would "kill someone at Sillim Station," must compensate the government. This is the first civil court ruling to recognize the liability for damages in a lawsuit filed by the government against the author of such a murder threat post.
Judge Jo Jungmin of the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 93 delivered a ruling in favor of the plaintiff, ordering Choi (31) to pay 43 million won in damages to the government, as sought in the lawsuit.
The court fully accepted the government’s claim, recognizing all human and material losses incurred in preparation for a potential mass murder incident. The Ministry of Justice, which represents the government in state litigation, was the plaintiff in this case.
Choi posted a false message on an online community on July 26, 2023, five days after the Sillim Station stabbing incident, stating, "I am standing in front of Exit 2 of Sillim Station with a knife. I will start killing people now." As a result, about 20 police officers were dispatched to the scene after receiving a report, and Choi was indicted for obstructing police work.
In September of the same year, the Ministry of Justice filed the lawsuit, stating, "A total of 703 police personnel, including the Cyber Investigation Team and the Police Mobile Unit, were deployed from the moment the 112 emergency call was received until the suspect was apprehended, resulting in a waste of over 43 million won in taxpayers' money." The lawsuit aimed not only to hold the author of the murder threat post criminally responsible but also to impose civil liability as a measure to prevent recurrence.
Choi was found guilty in the criminal trial and received a sentence of one year in prison, suspended for two years.
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