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Prank caller who claimed to witness murder handed to prosecutors

Published: 31 Mar. 2025, 19:59

The National Police Agency building in Seodaemun District, western Seoul [NEWS1]

A man in his 50s who placed a prank call claiming someone had been murdered was handed over to prosecutors without detention, according to police in Asan, South Chungcheong, on Monday.

The Asan Police Precinct said the man was sent to the prosecution on charges of obstruction of performance of official duties by fraudulent means.

The man is accused of calling the police emergency hotline around midnight on Feb. 10, claiming that someone had died. The caller said he was able to escape the "murder scene" but that a person near him got killed.

“I saw someone with a knife,” the caller told the police at the time, adding that he was near a convenience store in Oncheon-dong, Asan.

Believing it to be an urgent situation, five officers were dispatched to the scene. However, they found no signs of a crime.

Instead, the police officers found a man inside the convenience store, later revealed to be the man who called the police. He first denied having made the call.

The man was arrested on the spot.

A police official urged the public to refrain from making false emergency reports, saying anyone who makes a false call will face “serious legal consequences.”

“These actions hinder timely responses for people in genuine need of police assistance.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]