Man who posted 5 death threats against President Lee arrested; transfer to prosecutors imminent

A man in his 20s who posted death threats against President Lee Jae Myung online has been arrested. Police have completed their investigation and plan to transfer the case to prosecutors shortly.

Park Jeong-bo, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said at a regular press briefing Monday that Hyehwa Police Station had identified and apprehended the suspect and completed all questioning, adding that the case would be referred to prosecutors soon.

Police are investigating the suspect on charges of general intimidation. An official said the charge was applied — rather than attempted intimidation — because the threatening content did not reach the victim directly.

The case began July 6 when five posts threatening to "kill President Lee Jae Myung on Monday" appeared on a personal social media account. Citizens who spotted the posts filed a series of reports, prompting police to begin tracking the author.

Hyehwa Police Station, which took charge of the investigation, arrested the suspect on Wednesday. The suspect is a man in his 20s; details including his occupation, motive and whether he has admitted to the charges have not been disclosed.

A Hyehwa Police Station official said the case had not yet been closed, making it difficult to discuss the suspect's statements or demeanor during questioning at this stage, and that while a transfer to prosecutors was imminent, no date had been set.

Police plan to refer the case to prosecutors after comprehensively reviewing the suspect's alleged conduct and motive.