Two suspects who posted messages in an online chat room calling for an "assassination squad" targeting former Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae have been referred to prosecutors.
The Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul said Thursday it referred the two suspects, facing charges of intimidation, to prosecutors without detention on July 10. "The two suspects do not know each other," a station official said, adding that investigators identified the authors based on threatening posts found in an open online chat room. The official said the type of social media platform used, as well as the suspects' genders and ages, could not be disclosed due to the risk of identifying them.
According to police, the suspects are accused of posting messages — including "Let's kill Jung Chung-rae" and "Recruiting an assassination squad for Jung Chung-rae" — in an open online chat room ahead of the official campaign period for the nationwide local elections last May, threatening to cause him harm.
The investigation began after the Democratic Party reported the posts to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on May 16, also requesting personal protection for Jung.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency assigned the case to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station the following day. "We received the case from the Seoul agency, conducted the investigation according to procedure, and referred it to prosecutors last month after determining that the charges were substantiated," the station official said.
Separately, the Yeongdeungpo Police Station is also investigating a case in which a man in his 50s damaged Jung's vehicle on the afternoon of July 20.
jookapooka@heraldcorp.com
