Man who threatened to kill former President Moon gets stiffer sentence on appeal

A man in his mid-30s who posted an online death threat against former President Moon Jae-in received a harsher sentence on appeal.

The second criminal division of the Daejeon District Court overturned a suspended sentence Wednesday and handed down six months in prison to the defendant, identified only as A, 35, who was indicted on charges of aggravated intimidation, violation of the Control of Firearms, Swords, Explosives, Etc. Act, and obstruction of public officials by deception.

A had posted a message on an online community in October 2024 saying he would kill former President Moon, along with a photo of a gas-powered BB gun pistol.

The post forced police to deploy additional security personnel near Moon's residence.

A also faced charges of possessing a replica firearm.

The trial court had sentenced A to one year in prison, suspended for two years, saying "the degree of obstruction of public duties caused by the crime was not minor."

The appeals court accepted prosecutors' argument that the original sentence was "unjustly lenient."

"The defendant possessed gas-powered automatic pistols whose possession is prohibited, and posted a death threat against a former president along with photos of the guns, causing a vast number of police officers to be deployed where they were not needed," the court said in its ruling. "The tangible and intangible harm from each offense ultimately falls on all citizens, and restoring that harm is in effect impossible."

The court added that A had seven prior criminal convictions, giving it no choice but to question his sense of legal and ethical responsibility. "Even taking into account that the defendant has belatedly admitted his wrongdoing, the sentence handed down by the trial court falls short of achieving a deterrent effect," it said.