Police arrest a man in his 50s for making nearly 60,000 false emergency calls in one year

A man in his 50s was arrested by police for making more than 58,000 false emergency calls to the 112 hotline over the course of a single year.

The Seoul Seongbuk Police Station announced on September 23 that they have arrested a man in his 50s on charges of obstruction of official duties. According to the police investigation, the man had made a total of 58,307 false reports over the past year. Although there were no real emergencies, he made claims such as "Someone stole my refrigerator," "I'm going to kill my brother," and "I'm being held captive." Some of these reports were categorized as a 'Code 2' or higher, which led to police being dispatched to the scene 51 times.

In May, the man was fined for making false reports in violation of the Minor Offense Act. After becoming so disgruntled, he made 1,882 more false calls over a span of four days. Moreover, the man has a history of being fined seven times since 2023 for making false reports. Police have determined that the man is currently unemployed. During police questioning, he reportedly expressed remorse and told officers, "I made the false reports while being drunk because of family issues."

Police meticulously gathered data, analyzing his 112 call history and reporting patterns to prove the offenses before summoning him. When he failed to respond, police secured an arrest warrant and took him into custody. The police then applied for a warrant to secure his detention. The police are also considering a civil lawsuit for damages to recover the public costs incurred by dispatching officers in response to the repeated false reports.

A police official stated, "False reporting is a serious crime that could prevent a citizen who genuinely needs help from receiving it."