Man jailed for threatening to kill president in multiple calls to police

Employees receive 122 calls at the 112 situation room in Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 21, 2023. [OH SAM-GWON]

A 61-year-old man who called the police threatening to kill the president was sentenced to jail by the Seoul Northern District Court.

The court handed out a two-month prison sentence against the man, surnamed Kim, for obstructing official duties, according to a legal source on Monday.

On July 7 last year, Kim called the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s 112 emergency hotline five times, leaving messages saying that he would “kill the president” and “kill himself.”

After receiving Kim’s calls, five police officers were dispatched to the site. However, they found no signs of Kim attempting to take his own life.

Prosecutors later indicted Kim for obstructing official duties by fraudulent means.

“We considered that Kim’s mental state is not stable, including having an alcohol dependence,” the court said.

The court added that it sentenced Kim to prison as he repeated his crime in the three years since his last charge.

Kim had previously been given prison sentences for the same charges in 2020 and 2023.

BY HA SU-YOUNG [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]