On the 5th, following a threat posted on an online community about the installation of explosives at the Shinsegae Department Store in Myeongdong, Jung District, Seoul, similar posts regarding the installation of explosives appeared at Starfield in Hanam and the Shinsegae Department Store in Yongin. The police arrested a man in his 20s who left the post on the 6th.
According to the Yongin West Police Station, a call to 112 was received around 11 p.m. the previous day reporting, "Someone commented on YouTube that they would blow up the Shinsegae Department Store."
The commenter was identified as having made a remark to the effect of "I will also blow up the Shinsegae Department Store" on a YouTube video related to the threat of blowing up the Shinsegae Department Store. This commenter did not specify a particular location or time.
The police launched a manhunt and arrested Mr. A, a man in his 20s who left the comment, around 8 a.m. that day in Hadong County, Gyeongnam. Mr. A reportedly stated to the police that he did not actually install any explosives.
After receiving the 112 report, the police began searching for explosives at several Shinsegae Group affiliated stores, including the Starfield in Hanam operated by Shinsegae Property and the South City branch of the Shinsegae Department Store in Suji District, Yongin, around 6 a.m. that day. The search for explosives within the stores concluded after Mr. A was apprehended and normal operations resumed.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that the person who wrote the threat about installing explosives at the Shinsegae Department Store in Myeongdong on the previous day's DC Inside 'Synthesizers Gallery' was a middle school student. The Jeju West Police Station stated that they are investigating a first-year middle school boy, identified as Mr. A, on charges of public intimidation under the Criminal Act. Mr. A was apprehended at his home in Nohyeong-dong, Jeju City, around 7 p.m., just over six hours after posting the message.