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Man fined 6 million won for threatening bystanders with homemade bomb in public

Published: 17 Aug. 2025, 16:08 Updated: 17 Aug. 2025, 19:59

An image of a hand holding up a lighter [YONHAP]

A man in his 20s was fined by a court for carrying a homemade explosive device in public and engaging in threatening behavior.

The Seoul Southern District Court’s 15th Criminal Division fined the man 6 million won ($4,300) for public intimidation, according to legal sources on Sunday.

The man was charged with walking around in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, for about 30 minutes on May 26 while carrying a homemade bomb constructed from a butane canister, wires and tissue paper. He made threatening remarks to pedestrians and gestured as though he was about to ignite the device with a lighter.

“The defendant threatened unspecified members of the public and risked causing social unrest, which makes the offense serious," said the court in its ruling.

However, the court also noted that "the defendant has an intellectual disability, and the device was crudely assembled to the point that bystanders appeared not to take it seriously,” in explaining the basis for the sentence.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]