First Conviction for Public Threat Crime, Man Wanders Streets with Homemade Bomb

The first conviction for the 'Public Threat Crime' has been announced since it was implemented on March 18.

The Seoul Southern District Court sentenced a man in his 30s to a fine for wandering the streets with a homemade bomb, threatening unspecified individuals.

According to the legal community, Judge Kim Woongsu of the Seoul Southern District Court recently sentenced Kim (30) to a 6 million won fine for charges of public threat. This marked the first court ruling to acknowledge the charges since the public threat crime was enacted.

Kim was brought to trial for allegedly threatening unspecified citizens for about 30 minutes while holding a homemade bomb made from butane gas, wires, and paper, near a waste disposal site adjacent to a store in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on May 26.

At that time, Kim reportedly made statements such as "I’ll kill those I don’t like" while attempting to ignite the homemade bomb with a lighter in front of citizens.

The Court's Judgment and the Meaning of Public Threat Crime

The court stated, "By publicly threatening an unspecified number of people on the street, there was potential to cause confusion, indicating the severity of the offense," adding, "The crime occurred during a probation period for a different offense, which increases its blameworthiness."

However, the court explained its sentencing considerations, saying, "The defendant acknowledges his wrongdoing and shows remorse," and that "the defendant has an intellectual disability, and the homemade bomb is clearly sloppy and poorly made. It seems that people present at the crime scene were not overly concerned about the defendant's behavior."

The public threat crime is a penal code provision punishing anyone who publicly threatens to harm the life or body of unspecified or multiple people, and it has been in effect since March 18.

Violating this law can result in a prison sentence of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 20 million won.

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