False bomb threat again

[Anchor]

Another internet post threatening to blow up a department store has led to emergency police searches today (8.6), following a similar incident yesterday (8.5).

The posts were made by a middle school first-year student and a man in his 20s, who cited curiosity and mischief as their motives.

Both the police and the department store have announced they will respond sternly.

Reporter Kim Bo-dam has the story.

[Report]

"Explosives have been installed on the first floor of the department store."

This internet threat caused a commotion, leading to the emergency evacuation of 4,000 people yesterday.

However, last night, a comment was posted on a YouTube news video covering this incident, stating that the commenter would blow up the Shinsegae department store at 5 PM the next day.

Upon receiving the report, the police had to begin searches of all Shinsegae department stores nationwide starting at 6 AM.

After tracking down the author, the police arrested a man in his twenties living in Hadong, Gyeongnam.

He claimed it was "just a prank" as the reason for his actions.

Although no explosives were found, the police applied the more serious charge of “public threat,” which carries a heavier sentence than general intimidation.

There are also possibilities of pursuing claims for damages beyond criminal responsibility.

[Kim Sang-kyun/Professor of Police Studies at Baekseok University: "There is a possibility that it could lead to a waste of police resources. The social costs are quite significant, so such crimes are taken seriously by judicial authorities..."]

The individual who posted the threat against the main Shinsegae department store on the first day was caught in Jeju Island.

This was a first-year middle school student, who stated that he was curious about how people would react.

[Jo Man-jin/Criminal Division Chief at Jeju Seobu Police Station: “There could also be civil liability. Crimes like this, even if done out of curiosity or as a prank, must not be committed.”]

Shinsegae has estimated that damages amount to hundreds of millions of won and has announced strong measures, including legal action.

KBS News, Kim Bo-dam.