“We will bomb Seoul City Hall on Liberation Day” Another bomb threat from Japan

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

An e-mail was sent to South Korea from a Japanese account claiming to “bomb Seoul City Hall” on the upcoming Liberation Day, August 15. The police claimed the latest threat used the same methods as an earlier threat of terrorism aimed at Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung and bomb threats on the N Seoul Tower and the National Museum of Korea. They are currently tracking down the source of the e-mails.

On August 14, the Cyber Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed that an e-mail had been sent to domestic media outlets on Sunday stating, “We have installed high performance explosives in several locations inside Seoul City Hall. The time of the explosion is 3:34 p.m. August 15.”

In a mix of English, Japanese, and Korean, the e-mail said, “[Important] Explosives have been installed in several locations inside Seoul City Hall. In particular, bombs were installed in the bathrooms, so you will have to search meticulously.” The e-mail was sent in the name of Takahiro Karasawa, a real lawyer who works in Japan. It also stated the address and contact number of the law firm he works in.

Based on the name stated and the content and format of the e-mail, authorities believe the letter threatening to bomb Seoul City Hall was sent by the same person who sent e-mails claiming acts of terrorism two other times recently. Phishing scams using stolen e-mail accounts of lawyers and law firms have been prevalent in Japan lately.

On August 7, an e-mail was delivered to civil servants in the Seoul metropolitan government. The e-mail said, “We will detonate a time bomb if you don’t kill Lee Jae-myung by 15:34p.m. August 9.” On August 9, a 112 report came in claiming the caller had received an e-mail from the same IP address stating, “We will bomb the National Museum of Korea, the Japanese Embassy, the N Seoul Tower and the Japanese School in Seoul.”

The police have requested cooperation from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to confirm the identity of the suspect and to take the suspect into custody and are proceeding with procedures for cooperation in law enforcement.

On August 9, Takahiro Karasawa mentioned an article on the e-mail threatening Lee Jae-myung on social media and wrote, “I think someone is using my name without my permission. In Japan, these types of crimes sometimes go uncontrolled, and some fundamentalists are committing the crime.”