Man gets suspended sentence for fake bomb threat during 'Documentary 3 Days' reunion at Andong Station

A man who posted a false bomb threat in a YouTube live chat during a long-awaited reunion event tied to the KBS program "Documentary 3 Days" — causing an evacuation and the deployment of 57 police officers to Andong Station — has received a suspended prison sentence.

Judge Kim Cheon-su of the Seoul Northern District Court's Criminal Division 8 sentenced the man, identified only as A, to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to undergo probation on Wednesday. He had been indicted on charges of public intimidation, obstruction of official duties by deception, and fraud.

A is accused of posting the message "I'm there and I've planted a bomb" in the live chat of a YouTube broadcast titled "Can We Meet Again at Andong Station?" run by the KBS documentary channel. He posted the message from his home in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, at around 7:36 a.m. on Aug. 15 last year. Investigators found that he had not actually planted any explosive device and had posted the false message to attract attention from an unspecified number of people.

A viewer who saw the post called 112 at around 7:37 a.m. — one minute later — prompting 57 officers from the Andong Police Station to rush to the scene. Police searched the area around Andong Station and evacuated nearby residents until around 10:20 a.m. The court found that A had threatened to harm the lives and bodies of an unspecified number of people and had obstructed the lawful duties of police in preventing crime, maintaining security, and protecting the public.

The broadcast was tied to a "reunion 10 years later" segment planned for Andong Station that day. In a 2015 episode of "Documentary 3 Days" set at Andong Station, college students Kim Yu-ri and Ahn Hye-yeon and cinematographer Lee Ji-won had promised to meet again on Aug. 15, 2025. The scene had become widely talked about, drawing the production crew and members of the public to the station on that date.

The court noted that A's actions caused "many people gathered at Andong Station to experience anxiety and inconvenience, resulted in a significant waste of police resources, and made it difficult for the KBS documentary channel to continue filming." However, the court said it took into account that A had no prior criminal record, admitted to the offense, and was a juvenile at the time of the incident, as well as the circumstances and nature of the crime.

A was also found guilty of a fraud charge stemming from an incident about a month after the bomb threat. On Sept. 25 last year, he received 100,000 won ($71) worth of services at a massage shop in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, then pretended to make a bank transfer while actually sending only 10 won. He used a banking app feature that allows the sender's display name to be customized, changing it to "100,000 won" to deceive the shop owner into believing full payment had been made.

Despite the temporary lockdown caused by the bomb threat, the reunion ultimately took place. After the area was cleared, director Lee and Kim met at Andong Station, though no footage was captured — only a commemorative photo taken on a mobile phone.