A man in his 30s who posted a warning that he would kill former President Moon Jae-in along with a photo of a gas-powered BB gun pistol on an online community was sentenced to prison on appeal.

Former President Moon Jae-in answers reporters' questions after casting his ballot at an early voting station set up at the Habuk-myeon Community Center in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, on the morning of the 29th, the first day of early voting for the June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections. /Courtesy of News1

On the 24th, the Daejeon District Court's Criminal Division 2-1 (Presiding Judge Park Jun-beom) sentenced A, 35, to six months in prison on charges including aggravated intimidation, violation of the Act on the Control of Firearms, Swords and Explosives, and obstruction of official duties by deceit.

Prosecutors said that in Oct. 2024, A posted a death threat against a former president along with a photo of a BB pistol on an online community. Because the pistol was a gas-powered model whose possession is prohibited, A was also charged with possessing a mock firearm.

At the time, the police had to deploy additional security personnel near the former president Moon's residence because of A's post. The court of first instance had sentenced A to one year in prison, suspended for two years, but the panel increased the sentence after accepting the prosecutor's appeal that the punishment was unduly lenient.

The court said, "The defendant caused a meaningless waste of numerous police personnel, and the damage is virtually impossible to remedy," adding, "Moreover, the defendant has seven prior criminal punishments, leaving no choice but to question the defendant's sense of lawfulness and ethics."

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