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Liberation Day bomb threat under Japanese lawyer's name prompts investigation

Published: 15 Aug. 2025, 14:20

The police logo [YONHAP]

A bomb threat emailed to the Korean Embassy in Washington warning of a detonation on Liberation Day, Friday, has triggered a sweeping investigation across Korea — the latest in a string of hoaxes sent under the name of a real Japanese lawyer.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, the embassy received an email at around 5:34 a.m. warning that a “high-powered bomb” would be detonated in “a Korean urban public transportation area at 3:34 p.m. on Aug. 15.”

The email was sent under the name of a real Japanese lawyer, authorities confirmed.

Following a report from the embassy, the Seoul police shared the information with law enforcement nationwide. Although the exact location and credibility of the threat remain unverified, authorities issued orders to step up patrols, check for explosives, and track the sender. No explosives have been found as of press time.

“We are merging the case with ongoing investigations into previous threats involving impersonation of a Japanese lawyer,” a police official said.

On Sunday, a bomb threat was also sent via fax to the KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul, ahead of a K-pop concert, leading to the evacuation of over 2,000 concertgoers.

On Aug. 8, another fax threatened a sulfuric acid attack on schools in the Seoul area. Both threats used the names of Japanese lawyers and were later deemed hoaxes, with no explosives or hazardous materials discovered.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HONG JOO-HEE [[email protected]]