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Police investigate middle school student over bomb threat in Suwon

Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 16:14

Firefighters search a high school in Busan after two schools reported receiving a bomb threat via fax on Sept. 2. Photo is unrelated to the story. [BUSAN METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

Police are investigating a middle school student in Gwonseon District in Suwon, Gyeonggi, after receiving a report Wednesday of a threat to set fire to the health room of a local middle school. Authorities believe the same person is behind both this threat and a false bomb threat made the previous day that threatened a nearby elementary school.

According to Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency, at 9:26 a.m. Wednesday, a text was sent to the 119 emergency line stating, “I will set fire to the health room of a middle school in Gwonseon District.” Police searched the school but found no flammable materials.

The phone used to send the text was registered under a student at the middle school. Investigators determined the suspect borrowed a friend’s phone to make the false report.

On Tuesday at 11:20 a.m., another false threat was posted on the 119 Safety Report Center website, claiming, “I will detonate a nuclear bomb at an elementary school in Gwonseon District.” The threat prompted the evacuation of about 280 students and staff.

The report was filed using a phone registered to another student at the elementary school, who was initially suspected. However, police later concluded the real culprit had also borrowed that phone.

Because the suspect is a juvenile under the age of criminal responsibility, they cannot face charges, such as public intimidation, even if the allegations are confirmed.

“We have not been able to question the suspect in detail since their whereabouts have not been confirmed,” said a police official. “If the allegations are verified during the investigation, the case will be referred to the family court’s juvenile division.”

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 HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]