"Words Are Useless" Man in His 20s Who Threatened National Pension Service Knife Attack Surrenders

"I Wrote the Threat to Get Attention," Suspect Says

A man in his 20s who posted a message online threatening a knife attack against the National Pension Service surrendered to the police.

National Pension Service Fund Management Headquarters

On July 21, the Jeonju Deokjin Police Station in North Jeolla Province announced that they had booked a man in his 20s, identified as A, without detention on charges including public intimidation and are investigating the case.

A is accused of posting a message on an online community at around 12:46 p.m. the day before, titled, "I live in Jeonju, and today there will be a knife attack at the National Pension Service." The post stated, "Someone really needs to die for people to wake up. Words are useless," among other provocative content.

Upon receiving a report, the police were dispatched to the National Pension Service headquarters and the Jeonju-Wanju branch, among other related institutions, to inspect the premises and carry out patrols.

It has been determined that A, who turned himself in to the police around 6 p.m. the previous day, stated that he wrote the provocative message to attract public attention.

'74 Trillion Won Sell-off Rumor' · Suspicion of Stock Price Support Ahead of Local Elections

The National Pension Service has been at the center of controversy over its fund management. In particular, rumors of a "74 trillion won National Pension Service sell-off" have spread, causing unease among investors. There have also been speculative suspicions that the NPS purchased stocks with the intention of boosting market prices ahead of local elections.

Regarding this, on July 16, during a work briefing from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Pension Service, President Lee Jaemyung asked Kim Sungjoo, Chairman of the National Pension Service, "I heard rumors that the NPS recklessly bought domestic stocks to boost prices because of the upcoming local elections. Did you actually buy those stocks?" Kim responded, "That is absolutely not true."

Kim explained, "We originally held onto our stock holdings, and as the KOSPI index rose, the valuation increased. In fact, we were in a situation where we needed to sell some stocks." He added, "If we just hold the stocks, people ask why we aren't selling; if we try to sell, they ask why we are selling. We are investors, and our job is to generate profits and return pensions to the public, but because of the intense public scrutiny, it's difficult to operate the fund calmly."

Regarding the concerns over a "74 trillion won sell-off," Kim rebutted that it is an "absurd figure." On July 1, Kim wrote on his Facebook page, "Even if the National Pension Service enters rebalancing, the possibility of it being a 'bomb' is zero. Rebalancing is conducted gradually and meticulously, so there cannot be a large-scale sell-off in a short period."

"Violation of Asset Management Principles" Political Criticism Continues

Nevertheless, criticism continues that the National Pension Service violated its asset management principles. On July 20, former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seungmin stated on his Facebook page, "The allegations that the NPS used the pension fund for artificial stock price support and currency defense, undermining its asset management principles, must be subject to a parliamentary inquiry. The NPS’s moves to increase domestic stock holdings and conceal strategic asset allocation limits constitute a breach of its rebalancing principles."

He warned, "Foreign investors who abided by the rules have reaped huge profits, whereas the NPS, by breaking the rules, failed to act in time and was simply taken advantage of by international investors. If the NPS continues to ignore principles, it will keep falling victim to quick-moving foreign investors."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.