A man in his 30s who posted a false message threatening bomb attacks at five international airports nationwide, including Jeju Airport, and was sentenced to prison, has been ordered to pay damages to the state.
according to legal sources on the 27th, the Jeju District Court Civil Division 20 Single Judge (Presiding Judge Shin Dong-ung) held a sentencing hearing in the damages lawsuit filed by the Republic of Korea against a person surnamed A and ruled partly in favor of the plaintiff.
The court ordered a person surnamed A to pay the Republic of Korea 29.28 million won in damages and 3.76 million won in delayed damages from Aug. 23, 2023, until the date of the judgment.
According to the indictment, a person surnamed A was charged with posting six messages on an online forum on Aug. 6–7, 2023, foreshadowing bomb attacks and rampages with weapons at international airports including Jeju, Gimhae, Gimpo, Daegu and Incheon.
Police deployed a large number of personnel and conducted search and apprehension operations. The expense incurred in the process was estimated at 32.53 million won.
During the police investigation, a person surnamed A reportedly said the intent was to "test whether the police could catch" the suspect.
The court found that the posts constituted "distribution of information for criminal purposes," which is prohibited under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. Because the posts led to actual police deployment and expense, the court determined the defendant was liable for damages.
The defense argued that the costs of public safety activities carried out by the state could not be considered damages, but the court rejected the claim.
The court noted that "at a time when social anxiety was heightened due to incidents involving weapon rampages, the defendant could have fully anticipated the mobilization of police," and ruled that "because the defendant's actions led to the deployment of numerous police officers and unnecessary expenditure, liability for damages is recognized."
A person surnamed A was indicted on charges including intimidation, obstruction of the performance of official duties by deception, and violation of the Aviation Security Act, and was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.