Special operations police officers patrol at a Seoul subway station on Aug. 7, 2023, amid a surge in online murder threats in the wake of recent back-to-back deadly mass stabbings. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The government will establish new legal provisions to seek stern punishment for people caught writing online murder threats or carrying weapons in public places, the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday, amid a recent surge in social media posts threatening random stabbing attacks.
The ministry said it will push to revise the law related to the punishment of acts of public intimidation, including online murder threats, in response to the rapid increase in such cases.
“Recently, the crime of making random murder threats has frequently occurred on social media, causing fears among the public. But there are concerns about a ‘punishment vacuum’ for that crime due to the lack of relevant legal regulations to directly punish it,” the ministry said in a media notice.
At the recommendation of the Supreme Prosecutors Office, the government will establish new criminal punishment provisions after examining legislative precedents in the United States, Germany and other countries that punish acts of intimidation against the public, it noted.
The new legal provisions will mainly target the act of posting words and phrases that cause fears for the life and body of members of the public, such as random murder threats, it added.
In addition, the ministry said it will create new legal provisions to punish those who carry weapons that can be used for crimes, such as murder and assault, without justifiable reason in public places or while using public transportation.
Police have apprehended 67 people on suspicion of uploading online posts threatening copycat crimes in the wake of the recent back-to-back fatal stabbing attacks in Seoul and the prosecution has put six of them, including two teenagers, under formal arrest.
(Yonhap)
