Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Middle schooler arrested after Shinsegae Department Store bomb threat
Police and special forces search the main branch of Shinsegae Department Store in central Seoul, Tuesday, after some 4,000 shoppers and employees evacuated the building following an online bomb threat. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
A middle school student was arrested on Jeju Island Wednesday, one day after an online bomb threat prompted the evacuation of some 4,000 people from a major department store in central Seoul, police said.
According to Jeju police, the suspect — identified only as a boy in his teens — was apprehended at his home in Jeju City around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities tracked him down by tracing his internet protocol address after the threatening post appeared on the online forum dcinside around noon.
The message, titled “Shinsegae Department Store Bombing Notice,” claimed that explosives had been planted on the building’s first floor and warned of a detonation at 3 p.m., urging the public to avoid the store that day.
Police received a report about the post about an hour later at 1:43 p.m. and by 2:25 p.m., police officers and special forces had evacuated approximately 3,000 shoppers and 1,000 employees, sealing off both the main and annex buildings.
Over 240 police personnel and emergency responders were deployed, and a search continued for around an hour until 3:59 p.m. No explosives were found and normal operations resumed later in the afternoon.
During questioning, the suspect told police he was motivated by curiosity about how people would react to his post.
The department store estimated business losses at around 500 million won ($380,000) to 600 million won, as the bomb scare forced a two-and-a-half-hour suspension of operations.
In a statement, Shinsegae condemned the “false information that created social anxiety and threatened customer safety,” vowing to pursue robust legal action against the perpetrator.
Police confirmed the middle schooler is considered a “juvenile criminal” under Korean law, as he is below the age of criminal liability. This means he cannot face criminal penalties but may undergo nonpunitive measures and juvenile protection proceedings.
Later that night, police began investigating another online threat — this time a YouTube comment referencing the Shinsegae scare and vowing a similar bomb attack.
While the post did not specify a time or location, it prompted preemptive police searches at Shinsegae’s Starfield Hanam and other branches in southern Gyeonggi Province early Wednesday.
No suspicious items were found, and stores are expected to resume regular operations if no further threats are reported.
The Hadong Police Department in South Gyeongsang Province arrested a 27-year-old man, identified only as Choi, on similar charges. Choi was apprehended at his home the next morning and told investigators that his remarks were meant as a prank.
While not a daily occurrence, bomb threats in Korea are met with a swift and serious response from law enforcement. Such threats — whether made by phone, text message or online — typically trigger costly evacuations and exhaustive security sweeps. Although some cases stem from personal grievances or mental health issues, many are attributed to so-called pranksters seeking attention or disruption.
Under Korean law, these acts are classified as obstruction of business or interference with official duties, offenses that carry the possibility of fines and prison terms. The rise of digital platforms has further complicated efforts to trace the sources of such threats.