The Korean National Police Agency said on the 13th that "terror threats claiming explosives were installed under the name of a particular Japanese attorney at major facilities in Korea, including Seoul City Hall, performance halls, universities, and elementary, middle, and high schools, have totaled 56 cases over the past two years."
The bomb threats were sent by fax or email and were mainly made to appear as if sent by a Japanese man named "Takahiro Karasawa (唐澤貴洋)." He is a real person but was impersonated in the threats. Born in 1978 (age 47), he works as an attorney in Japan.
Karasawa began to be impersonated by bomb threat perpetrators in Japan in 2015. Since 2023, he has also been impersonated in Korea. He has also received death threats. Not only was his home address made public, but his family's grave was also subjected to disgrace.
Why has he, a practicing attorney from a prestigious Japanese university with no connection to crime, had to go through this? ChosunBiz looked into the circumstances.
◇ "Explosives installed" impersonation faxes and emails began in Aug. 2023
In Korea, the bomb threats impersonating Karasawa began on Aug. 7, 2023. At the time, a Seoul city official received an email stating, "If you do not kill Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung, I will detonate a time bomb near a library in downtown Seoul."
On the 9th of the same month, an email threatening to blow up the National Museum of Korea, N Seoul Tower, the Embassy of Japan in Korea, and the Japanese School was received, with the sender listed as Karasawa. On the 13th of the same month, an email was received stating, "I have installed high-powered bombs in several places inside Seoul City Hall. The detonation time is 3:34 p.m. on the 15th." The sender was again listed as Karasawa.
Recently, Karasawa was also impersonated in bomb threats again. On Aug. 13, a threatening fax impersonating Karasawa was received at the Daejeon Immigration Office. It read, "I have installed 40,298 bombs using plastic explosives with high lethality at Everland Resort. The explosion time is from 3:34 p.m. on Aug. 13 to 27:83 p.m. on Aug. 13."
Bomb threats impersonating people around Karasawa also appeared. There was a case where the name of attorney Hiroaki Yamaoka (山岡裕明), the head of the law firm where Karasawa previously worked, was listed together in a bomb threat.
◇ Several Japanese internet users who impersonated him were arrested, but the crimes have not stopped
Earlier in Japan, bomb threats impersonating Karasawa began occurring in 2015. At the time, a large number of bomb threat faxes were received at facilities such as Tokyo ward offices and schools.
According to Japanese police and others, those impersonating Karasawa to make bomb threats are Japanese internet users who use the anonymous Japanese online community "2ch (Nichanneru, now 5ch, Gochanneru)." In 2012, Karasawa represented Hasegawa Ryota (長谷川亮太), who was a target of slander by internet users on this site, after which the internet users shifted their "attack coordinates" from Hasegawa to Karasawa.
In 2016, Japanese police arrested Ando Ryota (安藤良太, then 21) for bomb threats. At the time, his residence was unclear, and he was unemployed. From Feb. 18 to 20 that year, over three days, Ando sent emails under Karasawa's name claiming bombs had been installed at city halls or prefectural offices of more than 47 local governments nationwide.
The bomb threats resumed in Jan. 2023. Tens of thousands of threatening faxes and emails were sent nationwide in Japan to local governments, schools, and corporations under Karasawa's name. In the same year, Sato Nao (佐藤直), who committed the crimes, was arrested by Japanese police. Japanese police also arrested more than five people last year for making bomb threats.
However, the bomb threat crimes have not stopped. Some Japanese internet users are believed to be committing crimes targeting facilities in Korea as well.
◇ When asked, the impersonator said, "It's fun when the internet gets noisy"
Karasawa has even met in person with about 10 people who impersonated him to make bomb threats. When he asked, "Why do you impersonate me to make bomb threats when there is no benefit at all?" the impersonator reportedly replied, "Because it's fun when the internet gets noisy."
Death threats against Karasawa himself have not stopped. The Tokyo Shimbun reported in May that "the number of murder notices attorney Karasawa has received so far is said to exceed 1 million." The addresses of Karasawa's home and his parents were also made public online, and his family's grave was subjected to disgrace.
Acquaintances of Karasawa are also being targeted, it is said. In January this year, the keyhole of a doorknob at a fellow attorney's office was clogged with glue. When the same thing happened in February, it was reported to police, and the person who applied the glue was found to be a middle school student.