"Threatening Email from Japan Again: 'Will Bomb Daegum and Seoul National University'"

Bomb threat emails originating from Japan have this time been sent targeting the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, universities nationwide, city halls, and other locations.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency received a 112 report from Seoul City Hall around 9 a.m. on the 16th stating that two emails warning of bomb attacks had been received. These emails, sent around 11 p.m. the previous day, mentioned the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Busan, Daegu, Suwon, Hwaseong City Halls, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, and Pohang University of Science and Technology. The emails warned that bombs would be detonated on the same day and on the 17th in the afternoon. The sender also claimed to have installed approximately 270 million explosive devices.

The emails were sent under the name of a Japanese law firm, similar to previous terror threats targeting Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and bomb threats against Namsan Tower, the National Museum of Korea, and Seoul City Hall. Based on internet protocol (IP) addresses and other factors, the police suspect the emails were sent from Japan.

The Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, judging from the content, format, recipients, and IP addresses of the emails, suspects that all four terror threats were carried out by the same individual. They have requested cooperation from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and are proceeding with criminal justice cooperation procedures. The police searched the locations mentioned in the emails to check for actual explosives but have not found any suspicious items so far.

Earlier, on the 7th, an email was sent to Seoul city officials and others stating, "Assassinate Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. If not assassinated by 15:34 on August 9, a time bomb will explode." There were also bomb threat emails targeting Namsan Tower, the National Museum of Korea, the Japanese School, and the Japanese Embassy.

On August 14, a day before Liberation Day, an email was sent from Japan stating, "High-performance bombs have been installed in several locations within Seoul City Hall. The detonation time is 15:34 on August 15." Each time a report was received, the police deployed special forces and detection dogs to conduct searches but did not find any explosives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.