A South Korean man who threatened online to stab at least 30 people at Yatap Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, has been ordered to compensate the government 14.84 million won ($10,700) for police resources mobilized in response to the threat.
The decision is the first court ruling involving a damages lawsuit brought by police to recover expenses incurred while responding to online threats.
The man was accused of anonymously publishing the threat on an online community board he operated on Sept. 18, 2024. The post was titled, “I’ll stab at least 30 people at Yatap Station on Monday and die.”
Judge Jang Seong-sin of the Suwon District Court on Monday partially sided with the government, ruling that the man should pay approximately 15 million won in damages.
Police had initially demanded 55.05 million won, including expenses for officers deployed to the area, wages and overtime payments, as well as fuel costs for police vehicles.
The court determined that the man was responsible for roughly 27 percent of the claimed expenses, amounting to 14.84 million won, while rejecting the rest of the government’s claim. The court has yet to make public the detailed grounds for the ruling.
Following the spread of the threat online, police sent a special operations unit and an armored vehicle to Yatap Station. Patrols around the station were also stepped up and maintained for an extended period as a precautionary measure.
Authorities arrested the man in November 2024, 56 days after the threat was posted, after an investigation involving international cooperation. During questioning, he reportedly acknowledged posting the message to draw attention to his website.
Police have also launched a separate damages lawsuit against another individual who allegedly posted a bomb threat targeting Shinsegae Department Store. The lawsuits are part of broader efforts to make individuals responsible for online threats bear the financial burden of police resources used in responding to them.
