Shinsegae flagship branch evacuated over bomb threat

Visitors were urgently evacuated from the main branch of Shinsegae Department Store in Jung District, central Seoul, on Tuesday following an online post claiming explosives had been planted inside the building.

Authorities are dispatched at the Shinsegae Department Store main branch in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on Aug. 5 following an online post claiming that bombs were installed on the first floor of the building. [NEWS1]

Visitors were urgently evacuated from the main branch of Shinsegae Department Store, located in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on Tuesday following an online post claiming explosives had been planted inside the building.

At 12:36 p.m., a message was posted on an online forum that read, “Do not go to the Shinsegae main branch today. I really planted explosives on the first floor yesterday. It will blow up at 3 p.m. today.”

Police and fire authorities received a report of the post at 1:46 p.m. and immediately dispatched personnel to the scene, evacuating all shoppers and staff from the premises.

Police have deployed a special response team equipped with detection devices to verify whether any explosives were planted.

“The first floor has been cleared, and we are taking measures throughout the building,” said a Shinsegae representative. “It has not yet been decided whether operations will resume today." Later in the afternoon, Shinsegae confirmed that the threat was false and that it resumed operations as normal.

"We will take strong legal measures against this action that caused severe social anxiety and posed a threat to the safety of our customers," the company said in a statement.

"We will always strive to prioritize the safety of our customers and staff so that we may be a safe shopping space for people to trust."

Updated, Aug. 5, 2025: Follow-up from Shinsegae has been added.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY CHO MUN-GYU [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]