Jeju teenager under investigation for bomb threat at Shinsegae store in Myeongdong

A teenager living on Jeju Island is under investigation as the suspect behind an online threat claiming a bomb had been planted at the Shinsegae Department Store’s main branch in Myeongdong, central Seoul.

Police officers control the scene at the main branch of the Shinsaegae Department Store in Myeongdong, central Seoul, on the afternoon of Aug. 5 after a post on an online community said that explosives had been planted inside the store. [NEWS1]

A teenager living on Jeju Island is under investigation as the suspect behind an online threat claiming a bomb had been planted at the Shinsegae Department Store’s main branch in Myeongdong, central Seoul.

The Jeju Provincial Police Agency said Wednesday it is investigating a middle school student on charges of making public threats. The teenager was apprehended at their home in Jeju City around 7 p.m. Tuesday after authorities tracked their IP address. The student was taken in for questioning without a warrant.

Since the suspect is a teenager, they would be classified as a "juvenile criminal," defined under Korean law as a minor between the ages of 10 and 14. Such individuals cannot face criminal penalties and are instead subject to rehabilitative measures.

The threat was posted at 12:36 p.m. Tuesday on the online community site DC Inside, in a forum dedicated to image manipulation. The post, titled “Shinsaegae Department Store bombing notice,” claimed that explosives had been planted at the retailer’s main store and hinted at a terrorist attack.

“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,” the post read, which has since been deleted.

Police received a report about the threat at 1:43 p.m., more than an hour after it was posted, and immediately evacuated about 4,000 customers and staff from the department store. Access to the surrounding area was restricted.

A total of 242 personnel, including members of the police special forces, were deployed to conduct a search that lasted approximately 90 minutes. No explosives were found.

But a second threat referencing Shinsegae triggered another wave of emergency responses.

Police on Wednesday arrested a man in his 20s for posting a separate bomb threat targeting the retailer. Officers from Hadong Police Station in South Gyeongsang arrested the man around 8:40 a.m. on charges of making public threats.

Police special forces move after completing a bomb sweep at the Shinsegae Department Store in central Seoul on Aug. 5, following an online threat posted on a web forum claiming that explosives had been planted inside the building. [NEWS1]

The man allegedly left a comment under a YouTube video reporting on Tuesday's incident. While he did not name a specific location, he wrote, “I will bomb Shinsegae tomorrow at 5 p.m.”

The comment prompted police to carry out early-morning bomb sweeps at multiple Shinsegae locations, including Starfield Hanam in Hanam, Gyeonggi, and the South City branch in Yongin, Gyeonggi. Officers conducted the operations with bomb squads, special forces and local fire departments.

“The first emergency call was received by Yongin Seobu Police Station at 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday, reporting that a comment had been posted on YouTube threatening to bomb a Shinsegae department store,” a police official said. “Because the location was not specified, I think they are conducting searches at multiple branches in other areas.”

Police traced the IP address of the comment to South Gyeongsang and requested assistance from Hadong Police, who carried out the arrest.

The man, who is unemployed, told investigators he made the comment “as a joke.” No explosives were found at his residence.

Authorities ended all search operations at Shinsegae locations following his arrest. Updated, Aug. 6: Added details about a separate bomb threat targeting the Shinsegae Department Store.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY CHOI CHOONG-IL [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]