A man has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for filing a false report to rescue officials -- just two weeks after he was released from prison for another crank call to authorities.
Changwon District Court in South Gyeongsang Province said on Sunday it had found the defendant in his 50s guilty of obstruction of performance of official duties by fraudulent means, under Article 137 of the Criminal Act. The defendant called rescue authorities on Oct. 11, 2025, reporting that "an old woman appears to have been stabbed."
Asked about the situation, he said, "I'll call you if she dies," and hung up the phone.
Police officers and rescue workers arrived on the scene to find the defendant was alone and heavily intoxicated.
Investigators found that the defendant had filed a false report to police in 2023, pretending he was about to attack a lawmaker. He was convicted in May 2024 and served in prison for 18 months, until September of last year.
His release was just a fortnight before he called the emergency hotline and lied again.
"The defendant committed the crime just two weeks after being released from prison for the same crime. ... If an actual emergency had occurred that day in another place, police and rescue officials dispatched to the scene would not have been able to respond. The defendant's actions should be condemned as an act that can endanger the lives and safety of innocent people," the court said in its ruling.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
