"Teen Arrested for Falsely Reporting Bomb at Grand Park and Receiving Donations"

[Financial News] Teenagers who falsely reported that a bomb had been planted at Seoul Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, have been apprehended by police. It was revealed that they hosted a prank call broadcast in a voice chat room and received donations.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) announced on the 28th that Mr. A (18), the operator of a Discord server, was arrested on charges of obstruction of official duties by deception, and Mr. B (19), known as a so-called 'prank call expert,' was referred without detention. SMPA also identified four additional false reports made by Mr. A and referred them as well.
Mr. A operated a Discord server, led a 'false report broadcast,' and received donations from participants. It was confirmed that Mr. B made a false report during the broadcast, claiming, 'A bomb has been planted in Seoul Children's Grand Park.'
Discord is a platform that provides voice chat during gaming, and recently, various virtual communities on diverse topics have become active.
Due to their false report, the police deployed a total of 140 personnel, including 88 officers from the KNP Special Operations Unit (KNP SOU) and the Mobile Police Unit, 50 firefighters, and 2 district office employees, to evacuate park visitors and conduct a search until the following morning.
Mr. A and his associates were also found to have made other false reports to attract participants, such as 'I am being abused as a child,' 'I hit someone with my car and the victim is not breathing,' and 'I was sexually assaulted and the suspect is on the run.'
False reports of bomb threats and similar incidents waste police resources and can prevent citizens in genuine need from receiving timely assistance.
Police stated that they will respond strictly to repeated and socially harmful false reports, including pursuing arrests as a principle, and are also considering filing civil damages claims.
An official from SMPA emphasized, "False reports are not simply pranks but acts that endanger public safety and hinder the police's emergency response. We urge the public to refrain from making false reports or prank calls."

jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter