Seoul court orders man to pay damages for fake bomb threat

A South Korean court has ordered a man in his 20s to pay approximately 12.56 million won ($9,136) in damages to cover the full cost of a police response to a hoax bomb threat. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) in a civil suit seeking reimbursement for expenses incurred after the man posted a threat on YouTube in August 2025 targeting the Shinsegae Department Store.

The awarded amount covers personnel expenses, overtime allowances, fuel costs, and meal expenses. This marks the first time a court has recognized a claim for full compensation of public security costs wasted due to an online threat. In response to the original post, the SMPA had deployed 277 personnel to conduct patrols and searches around the department store area. The suspect was later arrested in Hadong.