A man in his 40s who was upset that his son had been denied an intellectual disability designation was arrested after threatening staff with a knife at a branch office of the National Pension Service (NPS), police said.
Seoul's Gangdong Police Station said on the 30th of last month that it had arrested a 46-year-old man, identified only by his surname A, and was questioning him on charges of special intimidation. He is accused of walking into the NPS Gangdong-Hanam branch office with a paring knife at about 1:30 p.m. on the 29th of last month and telling employees, in effect, that he would not let it go if his son was not registered as disabled. Investigators said he acted out of frustration that his son, a high school student, had not been granted an intellectual disability designation.
Shortly before the incident, the man had called the agency with an inquiry and was dissatisfied with the answer he received, according to accounts. No one was injured. Police, alerted by the agency, arrested him at about 2 p.m. the same day near the special-education school his son attends in Seoul's Songpa district.
The NPS determines the degree of disability through a review process. Under the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities, an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 70 or below meets the criteria for intellectual disability. The man's son has an IQ of 70 but was turned down because of other factors, according to accounts. In addition to IQ, the agency weighs results from tests of verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning, along with academic assessments recorded in school records.
Article 284 of the Criminal Act provides for up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won for intimidation involving a dangerous object. Ordinary intimidation carries up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 5 million won. Police said they would review whether to seek an arrest warrant after investigating the exact motive and circumstances.
