No explosives found after bomb threat at Kakao headquarters
The office of Kakao located in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province / Yonhap
No bomb was found following a threat at the headquarters of messenger app operator Kakao in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday, police said.
The Bundang Police Station said it conducted a search of the building and its surroundings by deploying around 70 personnel. No suspicious items were discovered.
Earlier in the day, Kakao reported to the police the bomb threat, which came through the company's customer service center at 11:09 a.m.
"As we prioritize employee safety above all else, we transitioned all staff to work remotely," an official from Kakao said.
The suspect reportedly wrote on Kakao's customer service board twice earlier in the day that a self-made explosive device had been placed in the company's office.
The suspect is said to have also threatened to kill high-level company officials with a homemade gun and demanded the company send 10 billion won ($6.8 million) to a bank account, according to officials from Kakao and the police.
Kakao earlier instructed all employees to work from home.
After concluding that there were no explosives or other safety threats, police lifted the building lockdown and allowed normal access.
Kakao said all of its employees are expected to return to work as usual Tuesday.