Man ordered to pay full damages for wasting police resources with fake bomb threat
A court has ordered a man in his 20s to pay 12.56 million won ($9,136) in damages for wasting police resources last year by making a hoax bomb threat online targeting a Seoul department store, police said Wednesday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), the Seoul Central District Court ordered the man on Friday to cover the full cost incurred by the Seoul police, including…
A Korean man in his twenties has been ordered to pay 12.56 million won ($9,136) in damages to the Seoul police for wasting their resources by making a hoax bomb threat online. The case came to light last August when the suspect posted a threat on YouTube, claiming that he planned to bomb the Shinsegae Department Store in Seoul. As a result, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) dispatched 277 officers to increase patrols around the department store, incurring significant costs in personnel expenses, overtime allowances, fuel costs, and meal allowances.
This marks the first instance in which a court has recognized a claim for full compensation of public safety costs wasted due to an online threat, according to police officials. The man was subsequently tracked and arrested in Hadong, a city situated approximately 290 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The SMPA emphasized that they would strictly punish those who threaten public safety and hold them accountable for any damage caused by their actions.
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