Police to seek tens of millions of won in damages over fake bomb threats

Police are seeking tens of millions of won in damages from five people accused of making fake bomb threats against companies and state institutions, and the bill could grow far larger if the targeted firms file their own suits.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Monday it will seek 33.12 million won ($21,900) in collective damages from the five — four teenagers and one person in their 20s — after a review by its damages committee. Four of them are accused of so-called swatting, repeatedly filing false reports and bomb threats through the messaging app Discord to provoke a large emergency response.

One was detained and indicted for posting seven bomb threats in January aimed at KT, Unjeong Jungang Station, Gangnam Station, Busan Station, Cheonan-Asan Station and the broadcasters SBS and MBC. Another was sent to trial over 17 threats between December of last year and February of this year against Kakao, Naver, Samsung Electronics, KT, Toss Bank and Seoul Station. A third is accused of instigating or abetting the threats, and a fourth was indicted without detention over a threat against Kakao's headquarters.

Police put the cost of responding to the teenagers' threats at 31.91 million won in administrative expenses. They are claiming 7.5 million won from the person behind the seven January posts, 20.23 million won from the one accused of the 17 threats and 3.05 million won from the one who targeted Kakao's headquarters, plus 1.13 million won for a threat against KT that two of them are accused of making together.

Most of the total comes from the labor cost of the police forces: 19.84 million won in overtime, 10.44 million won in base pay and 770,000 won in mobilization allowances, along with 560,000 won for fuel and 300,000 won for meals and travel.

Between December of last year and March of this year, police deployed special forces and armored vehicles to sweep the targeted sites for explosives — KT, Kakao's offices in Pangyo, Gyeonggi, and Jeju, Toss Bank's headquarters, Samsung Electronics' Seocho building in southern Seoul and the Gangnam and Busan stations — deploying 418 officers.

Police will seek 1.21 million won from a person in their 20s who posted threats to blow up the Blue House in December of last year. Officers spent two days on guard and search duty there, deploying 49 personnel from a regional patrol unit and the Bundang Police Station.

Provincial police agencies nationwide have run committees to review damages since late last year to curb the drain on resources.

"False reports and bomb threats are serious crimes that tie up enormous police resources and leave security gaps," a police official said. "We will keep pursuing damages aggressively to strengthen the deterrent effect."

The claims cover only the police's own administrative costs. If the targeted companies file civil suits, the total could climb much higher.

When the threats came in last year, Kakao moved about 3,500 staff at its Pangyo office and 110 at its Jeju headquarters to remote work, and Naver advised all employees to do the same. About 1,500 shoppers and workers at businesses inside Kakao's Pangyo building were evacuated, halting sales there.

Industry sources estimate that, once lost work hours and revenue are counted, the companies' combined losses could reach the hundreds of millions of won.

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]