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Bomb threat at Kakao's Pangyo office prompts police investigation

Published: 24 Dec. 2025, 14:07

Police search Kakao’s Pangyo office building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on Dec. 24. [YONHAP]

Police launched an investigation after Kakao reported a bomb threat by someone claiming to be President Lee Jae Myung, authorities said on Wednesday.

A threatening message appeared on Kakao's customer service website at around 9:11 p.m. Tuesday, claiming the writer had "produced hydrogen peroxide and thrown" it at Kakao’s Pangyo office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi.

“This time, it will explode,” the post said.

The writer identified themselves as President Lee, making a claim used in a similar post shared on Sunday. Tuesday's message also reportedly included language that appeared to mock police, calling them "incompetent officers."

Kakao confirmed the post at 10:32 a.m. Wednesday and reported it to police.

Police said they believe the threat is likely a hoax and decided not to conduct a building search involving special forces units. Officers instead increased patrols around relevant sites.

Bomb threats targeting Kakao began on Dec. 15, when a post claimed the writer had planted an improvised explosive device, and Tuesday's post marks the fifth such threat against the company.

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 EUN-BIN [[email protected]]