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Kakao headquarters on Jeju Island evacuated after latest bomb threat

Published: 18 Dec. 2025, 12:44 Updated: 18 Dec. 2025, 19:01

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Police officials are seen in front of Kakao’s Pangyo Agit building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, after a bomb threat was uploaded to the company's customer service center website on Dec. 15. [YONHAP]

The headquarters of Kakao on Jeju Island was evacuated on Thursday following a bomb threat, the latest in a series of bomb threats made against the internet giant this week.

The most recent report came in at approximately 8:48 a.m. Thursday, saying that explosive devices had been placed at Kakao's headquarters in Yeongpyeong-dong, Jeju City, according to the Jeju Fire and Safety Headquarters.

A police team responded to the scene and searched the main and annex buildings of Kakao’s headquarters. By 10:56 a.m., no explosives or other unusual elements were found.

Approximately 110 employees at Kakao's headquarters were evacuated due to reports of explosive devices and were expected to work from home.

Kakao also reported that, at around 7:04 p.m. on Wednesday, a post saying “an explosive has been planted” was uploaded to its customer service center website earlier that evening, in a format almost identical to one posted two days earlier on Monday, according to the Bundang Police Precinct. Kakao immediately instructed employees at the Pangyo Agit building in Seongnam to leave work.

Kakao's headquarters in Jeju City is seen on Jan. 10, 2022. [YONHAP]

From 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, police deployed around 40 officers to conduct a thorough search of the 15-story building. Authorities determined the situation was not high risk and did not deploy a military explosive ordnance disposal unit. No explosives or other hazards were found.

Posts claiming that an improvised explosive device had been planted in the Kakao Pangyo Agit building had also appeared on the company’s customer service center message board on Monday at 7:10 a.m. and again at 7:12 a.m.

The writer of those earlier posts, who said they were a high school dropout, threatened to kill a senior company executive with a homemade firearm and demanded that 10 billion won ($6.76 million) be transferred to their bank account.

Members of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit are seen in front of Kakao’s Pangyo Agit building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, after a bomb threat was uploaded to the company's customer service center website on Dec. 15. [YONHAP]

At the time, police deployed a special operations unit to check for explosives, but found nothing. Related agencies, including the Bundang Fire Station, the Air Force's 15th Fighter Wing and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, also sent personnel to the scene.

Police said they later confirmed that similar reports under the same name had already been filed on Nov. 9 and Dec. 9, and that the Daegu Nambu Police Precinct had conducted an investigation.

Police also believe the name used for the threatening post uploaded on Wednesday is different from that of the person who posted the message on Monday.

“The person whose name was used in the post two days ago is claiming that someone may have stolen their identity, so we are considering the possibility that today’s post was written by a different person as well and are tracking down the writer,” a police official said.

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 KIM JI-HYE, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]