Teen who posted 'death threat' against Lee says he did it for attention
College student said it was a spontaneous move, after he turned himself to police
South Korean police officials said Friday they have wrapped up their investigation into an online threat against President Lee Jae-myung during his campaign last month, after they found that it was just a prank by a teen to get attention.
The cybercrime unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said it will soon hand over the case to the prosecution. The suspect turned himself in to the police and admitted the charges.
The suspect on May 26 wrote on the Ajou University page of the online board for college students across the country, "I'll pay whoever stabs Lee today money," at around 10:51 a.m. This was shortly before Lee was slated for a meeting with the students of the university.
No one actually attacked Lee, and he left the school unharmed at around 12:40 p.m. that day. Lee, who was stabbed in the neck in January of 2024, had been subject to series of threats during the presidential campaign but no actual attack occurred.
Police were able to pinpoint the person who wrote the problematic post fairly quickly, as the anonymous website mandates members to prove that they are affiliated with each universities via official documents. With the police launching investigation, the suspect confessed on May 27.
He said he wrote the posting at the spur of the moment to get attention, and he decided to turn himself in after he got scared when people wrote on the online board that they would report the case to the police.
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Korea Herald
20 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Teen who posted 'death threat' against Lee says he did it for attention
College student said it was a spontaneous move, after he turned himself to police South Korean police officials said Friday they have wrapped up their investigation into an online threat against President Lee Jae-myung during his campaign last month, after they found that it was just a prank by a teen to get attention. The cybercrime unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said it will soon hand over the case to the prosecution. The suspect turned himself in to the police and admitted the charges. The suspect on May 26 wrote on the Ajou University page of the online board for college students across the country, "I'll pay whoever stabs Lee today money," at around 10:51 a.m. This was shortly before Lee was slated for a meeting with the students of the university. No one actually attacked Lee, and he left the school unharmed at around 12:40 p.m. that day. Lee, who was stabbed in the neck in January of 2024, had been subject to series of threats during the presidential campaign but no actual attack occurred. Police were able to pinpoint the person who wrote the problematic post fairly quickly, as the anonymous website mandates members to prove that they are affiliated with each universities via official documents. With the police launching investigation, the suspect confessed on May 27. He said he wrote the posting at the spur of the moment to get attention, and he decided to turn himself in after he got scared when people wrote on the online board that they would report the case to the police.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Unlisted sealed records of ex-President Yoon spark dispute
After President Lee Jae-myung criticized his predecessor for a lack of transition instructions for the incoming administration, it was revealed Thursday that 218,000 records from Yoon Suk Yeol's presidency have been sealed for 15 years without an inventory list. According to the Presidential Archives under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, this accounts for 1.6 percent of the Yoon administration's state-designated records. Such protected records cannot be accessed for up to 15 years due to a potential threat to national security or economic stability. Sealing the presidential records is justified under the Act on Management of Presidential Archives, but the lack of listing has been subject to criticism. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday accused Yoon of failing to carry out a proper transition to his successor. The sealed presidential records could be revealed under consent from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or with a warrant issued by the head of a high court. But without a list, it would be difficult to pinpoint which records should be revealed. Not having the list of sealed records could hinder the ongoing investigations and trials connected with Yoon. The former president, then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and other high-ranking military and police officials are on trial for their part in the alleged insurrection and abuse of power related to the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, which led to Yoon's impeachment and eventual expulsion in April. Another potential issue is the probe related to the military's 2023 investigation into the death of a Marine, which Yoon has been accused of interfering with. Revealing the list of presidential state-designated records is a legally grey issue as it is not specified in the law. But Article 8 of the Official Information Disclosure Act says public institutions shall prepare and keep a list of information they possess and manage.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Lee holds 1st Cabinet meeting with Yoon's ministers
Lee drops Han's Constitutional Court judge nominations; call with Trump being arranged, according to spokesperson President Lee Jae-myung held the first Cabinet meeting of his term on Thursday, where he asked ministers and heads of agencies, all appointed by his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, to do their best while they are in office. "We need to put people first, and do the best we can at the given moment," Lee told Cabinet members at the meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul. "Of course, some of you might feel this is quite awkward, but at the end of the day, we all work for the people. We cannot make light of the responsibilities entrusted upon us by the people, and I trust you to do your best." As Lee was elected in a by-election after Yoon was impeached and removed from office, the president did not have a transition period following Tuesday's election. He begins his term with Cabinet members appointed by the last administration. "It will take some time before I get the administration in order. While I do that, people are going through a difficult time, and I'd like to make that time shorter as much as I can," Lee said. Later in the day, Lee's spokesperson, Kang Yu-jung, said the president dropped nominations for Constitutional Court justices made by former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo while he was acting president. Han nominated Government Legislation Minister Lee Wan-kyu and Seoul High Court Justice Ham Sang-hun to succeed two outgoing Constitutional Court justices. The Democratic Party had slammed Han when he made the appointments, saying an acting president should not have the same authority as an elected president to fill such vacancies. A call is being arranged between US President Donald Trump and Lee, according to Kang. "For now, we are in the process of coordinating the phone call. We cannot confirm anything at this stage," she told reporters. The US Congressional Korea Caucus congratulated Lee on his election victory. In a statement Thursday, co-chairs of the Congressional Korea Caucus, Reps. Ami Bera, Marilyn Strickland, Joe Wilson and Mike Kelly, said they wished Lee and his administration well to "lead the Republic of Korea, a key and indispensable ally, through the many challenges facing the Korean Peninsula and beyond." 'As co-chairs of the Korea Caucus, we remain steadfastly committed to defending, strengthening, and enlarging the ironclad US-Korea alliance," they said. Questions remain whether Lee, who had been battling simultaneous criminal trials before he was elected, will continue to attend his court cases as a sitting president. The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a jail sentence of seven years and eight months for Lee's deputy dating to when he was Gyeonggi Province governor for the illegal transfer of funds to North Korea. The $8 million, the court said, were sent to North Korea to facilitate Lee's visit to Pyongyang. Lee has denied involvement in or knowledge of the scheme. The Democratic Party of Korea says the courts must suspend Lee's criminal trials. "Since he has assumed office as president, his criminal cases ought to be suspended under the Constitution. This is not a matter of debate," Rep. Jo Seoung-lae, the party's chief spokesperson, said Thursday. Article 84 of the Constitution says incumbent presidents are immune from criminal prosecution, but it does not state what should happen to criminal trials that are already underway. According to exit polls, 64 percent of voters said they believe Lee's criminal trials should continue even if he became president, while 26 percent said they should be delayed until after his term as president. On the day of his inauguration Wednesday, Lee announced the first set of nominations for key positions. Lee plucked Kim Min-seok from the Democratic Party leadership to serve as prime minister and named Kang Hoon-sik, a three-time Democratic Party lawmaker, as his chief of staff. As for his national security team, the president tapped Lee Jong-seok, who was unification minister for the late President Roh Moo-hyun, for director of the National Intelligence Service, and Wi Sung-lac, who was ambassador to Russia, for director of the National Security Office. Cabinet members have to go through a confirmation hearing and be confirmed by the National Assembly before they are appointed. Lee won the presidential election Tuesday with 49.42 percent of the vote against 41.15 percent that went to his People Power Party opponent Kim Moon-soo.
