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Police to file $51,000 damages suit against Incheon teenager accused of posting bomb threats

Published: 09 Feb. 2026, 15:29 Updated: 09 Feb. 2026, 18:33

Officials search a high school in Asan, South Chungcheong, after receiving a report that bombs had been planted on campus on Oct. 13. [NEWS1]

Incheon police will file a 75.44 million won ($51,000) damages lawsuit against a teenage student accused of repeatedly posting bomb threats claiming explosives had been planted at the high school he attends.

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency announced Monday that it plans to seek compensation from the student, who has been indicted under detention on charges of public intimidation and obstructing official duties by deception.

The student’s alleged actions resulted in a significant drain on administrative resources, according to the police. The student also forced officers to repeatedly deploy to the school, conduct searches for explosives and step up patrols in the surrounding area.

The agency finalized the amount after a meeting of its damages review committee on Jan. 30 and recently received approval from the National Police Agency headquarters.

The claim includes expenses such as allowances for 112 emergency dispatches, overtime pay, travel costs and fuel for mobilized vehicles. Police said it is the largest damages claim since the crime of public intimidation was introduced in March 2025.

Prosecutors allege the student posted seven messages to the 119 safety report center between Oct. 13 and Oct. 21, 2025, claiming he had planted — or planned to plant — explosives at Daein High School in Seo-gu, Incheon.

Investigators also said he posted online threats in September and October 2025, alleging bombs had been planted at middle and high schools and railway stations in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, and Asan, South Chungcheong. Authorities said he also used someone else’s identity in the process.

Members of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency’s criminal mobile unit, who received a special commendation from President Lee Jae Myung for arresting the suspect behind a false bomb threat at Daein High School in Incheon, pose for a photo. From left are Yoon Hee-cheol, Park Ju-wan, Ko Chung-sik, Choi Kyung-jun and Lee Ui-gyun. [BYUN MIN-CHUL]

Prosecutors said a total of 13 bomb-threat messages were linked to the student.

The alleged threats prompted the mobilization of 633 personnel — 379 police officers, 232 firefighters, and 9 military officials — totaling 63 hours and 51 minutes of deployment time.

At the first hearing held Thursday at the Incheon District Court, the student’s lawyer argued that, “except for some acts committed alone,” the student did not take part in the actions of "accomplices" that the student claimed were part of the crime.

The student said he met the accomplices on the messaging platform Discord.

The lawyer said the student “deeply regrets his wrongdoing,” but maintained that while he may have shared methods used in some incidents, there were “no specific instructions or substantial assistance,” effectively denying parts of the charges.

The student also spoke in court, saying he had been in detention for more than two months and “deeply reflected” on what he had done while being “bullied” there. “If I can return to society, I will kneel and apologize to public officials, whether it snows or rains,” said the student.

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 JEONG HAE-HONG [[email protected]]