The Incheon International Airport Police Agency announced on the 2nd that it had received a report of a threatening message on social media (SNS) stating that they would blow up the Shinsegae Duty Free stores and conducted a search of two Shinsegae Duty Free locations at Incheon Airport, but no explosives were found.
After receiving a request for cooperation from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the Incheon International Airport Police Agency deployed over 10 police officers responsible for security and counter-terrorism to the Shinsegae Duty Free in the protective zones of Incheon Airport's Terminal 1 and 2, but found no notable incidents.
A police official noted, "The airport's protective zone has been inspected for hazardous materials in advance, so the possibility of explosives being present is low, but since the specific location among the nationwide Shinsegae Duty Free stores was not identified, we conducted a search. We reinforced patrols in the area, including deploying detection dogs, as a precaution. "
Shinsegae reported to the police that at around 3:22 p.m. that day, a comment stating "I will blow up the Shinsegae Duty Free" was posted on Instagram. The police assessed that the likelihood of actual explosives being installed was low and did not take extensive evacuation measures. The main Shinsegae department store in Myeongdong had already experienced an evacuation incident a month ago on the 5th due to threats of explosives being placed.