Home > National > Social Affairs

Suwon bomb threat was a disgruntled delivery driver's prank, police find

Published: 18 Aug. 2025, 14:18 Updated: 18 Aug. 2025, 20:52

A commercial building in Suwon, Gyeonggi, that houses a fast food chain [YONHAP]

A suspected bomb threat at a fast food restaurant in Suwon, Gyeonggi, turned out to have been staged by a delivery worker with a grudge against the store.

Suwon Yeongtong Police said Monday that they had arrested a delivery worker in their 20s, who the authorities said had posted to social media at 1:07 p.m. on Sunday that the restaurant's employees were unfriendly and that a bomb would be planted at the branch. They then reported a suspected terrorist threat to the 112 emergency hotline, pretending to be a witness who had seen the post.

Police said the worker had recently delivered food from the restaurant and held a grudge after being criticized for a late delivery.

The false report prompted a special operations unit to search the premises for about one hour and 40 minutes. Around 400 people were evacuated from the nine-story building, which also houses a hospital and private academies, causing major disruption.

The worker was apprehended at 4 p.m., three hours after the incident, after police traced their social media accounts.

Officers said they seek to detain the suspect, who has been charged with obstruction of official duties by deception and interference with business operations. Police are considering adding public intimidation charges.

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 JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]