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Police search Shinsegae department stores in Gyeonggi after series of bomb threats

Published: 06 Aug. 2025, 09:56

A crowd is lined up in front of a Tesla store in Starfield Mall in Hanam, Gyeonggi, on March 28. Photo is not related to the story. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Police are conducting searches at the Shinsegae department stores in Yongin and Starfield Hanam mall in Gyeonggi on Wednesday following a series of bomb threats, including one made against the retailer’s Myeong-dong main branch in central Seoul a day earlier.

A 112 emergency call was made around 11 p.m. Tuesday reporting that “someone posted a comment on YouTube threatening to bomb Shinsegae Department Store,” according to the Yongin Seobu Police Precinct.

The unidentified user allegedly wrote a comment on a video related to Tuesday’s earlier threat, saying something to the effect of “I will also bomb Shinsegae Department Store.” The message did not specify a location or time.

In response, police began searching several Shinsegae locations, including the Starfield Hanam branch and the South City branch in Suji District in Yongin from around 6 a.m. Wednesday.

“Although the 112 call was received by the Yongin Seobu Police Precinct, the comment did not indicate a specific store, so searches are underway at multiple Shinsegae locations,” a police official said. “If no threats are found before opening hours, stores are expected to operate as usual.”

The suspect who posted the initial bomb threat targeting the Myeong-dong main branch was later identified as a middle school student living on Jeju Island.

BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]