On April Fools' Day, false terror threats are no joke

Police and firefighters search the main branch of Shinsegae Department Store in central Seoul, Aug. 5, 2025, after some 4,000 shoppers and employees evacuated the building following an online bomb threat. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Korean police are on alert ahead of April Fools' Day, which falls on Wednesday, keeping a close watch as false emergency reports and online bomb threats have surged in recent years.

The growing concern over such threats and reports prompted the enactment of a public intimidation law in March 2025 that carries up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won ($13,041) for those who openly threaten the life or safety of an unspecified or large number of people.

According to data submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea by the National Police Agency last August, police dispatches in response to false reports increased from 4,235 to 5,432 between 2022 and 2024, up 28.3 percent. Last year, police logged 177 bomb threat reports targeting various places including department stores, offices, celebrity residences, subway restrooms, schools and aircraft.

The threats have a tangible cost, often triggering large-scale mobilization of police resources.

Last August, a bomb threat hoax forced the evacuation of roughly 4,000 customers from Shinsegae Department Store's main branch in central Seoul, with 242 officers, including special operations units, searching the building.

In 2024, police received a threat email ahead of the MLB Seoul Series opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, warning that a bomb would be detonated to harm players including Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, prompting the deployment of 350 personnel to sweep the venue for explosives.

Such costs came into sharp focus in February, when police filed a 75.44 million won damages claim — the largest since the public intimidation law took effect — against high school students behind repeated false bomb threats. The claim covered labor, fuel and equipment costs incurred from dispatches to schools and train stations.

Authorities have signaled that they will not absorb these costs without consequence. In January, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Park Jeong-bo said authorities would calculate damages in every bomb threat case and pursue both criminal charges and civil lawsuits upon arrest.

“When these reports come in, residents are left in fear and police resources are wasted,” Park said, adding that damages in individual cases range from 1.5 million won at the low end to tens of millions of won.

Police said false emergency calls average about 14 per day and that April Fools' Day has not produced a notable spike in recent years, adding that they would also monitor fake, artificial intelligence-generated footage of disasters, accidents and fires.