South Korean police said on the 13th that a man was arrested on suspicion of issuing death threats against President Lee Jae-myung via social media, and prosecutors are expected to file charges against him.
The Hyehwa Police Station in Seoul stated that the suspect, a man in his 20s, posted five consecutive messages on social media at around 6:30 a.m. on the 6th of this month, threatening that "Lee Jae-myung will be killed today." The police identified the suspect through account analysis and other technical means, and arrested him on the 8th.
According to South Korean media reports, the man told police during the investigation that he made the death threats against Lee Jae-myung out of anger at South Korea's current political situation.
The police have completed their investigation of the suspect and will soon transfer the case to the prosecution. The authorities said that since the suspect issued death threats via the internet and did not have direct contact with Lee Jae-myung himself, they are recommending the prosecution charge him with attempted intimidation, according to relevant legal provisions.
In September last year, two teenagers in their teens posted on social media claiming they would commit crimes against Lee Jae-myung and threatened several classmates. They were subsequently investigated by police and transferred to the prosecution in February this year.
In January 2024, Lee Jae-myung, then leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, was attacked by a knife-wielding man on Busan's Gadeokdo Island, leaving him bleeding from a neck wound before he was taken to hospital for treatment. The attacker was sentenced to 15 years in prison.