Woman gets 2 1/2 years prison for bomb threat

A local court sentenced a woman in her 40s to 2 1/2 years in prison for making false reports that she had planted a bomb at a court office building.

The Cheongju District Court convicted the woman on Thursday, finding her guilty of obstruction of justice and attempted fraud.

According to the court, the woman made the report in 2022, claiming that she had installed an explosive device at the court office building. According to reports, as a result of her false claim over 400 court employees and civilians had to evacuate, with police, fire departments and a special forces unit called to the scene.

The evacuation led to delays in all scheduled proceedings for the day as authorities conducted a thorough search for the alleged bomb, resulting in a two-hour disruption.

It is also reported that the woman made the false statement because she held a grudge against the court for her previous imprisonment.

She had been convicted of fraud and served 2 1/2 years in jail. She was released in January 2022.

“The seriousness of and the damage caused by her obstruction of justice were too significant,” the court stated.

The court added that her recent fraud record was also taken into account for the ruling.

She reportedly took jewelry worth 39 million won ($30,500) by promising to pay later seven times last year, just a few months after she was released from her previous sentence.