About 100 moviegoers were evacuated from a Seoul department store after a fake bomb threat posted online, but no explosives were found. The threat appeared late Saturday on an online community, and police are tracing the suspect. Authorities searched 10 Lotte Department Store branches in Seoul with no discoveries.
The threat appeared late Saturday on the online community DC Inside, warning readers to "bolt out of the Lotte Department Store in Seoul right now" and claiming that five explosives had been planted on the second floor, according to police and fire officials.
An anti-terrorism response team and other officers were dispatched to 10 Lotte Department Store branches in Seoul, but no explosives were discovered. All of the stores had already closed for the day, but about 100 moviegoers at a cinema inside a Lotte Department Store in northern Seoul were evacuated as a precaution, officials said.
Police said they are tracing the internet protocol address—the online equivalent of a street address or phone number—used to post the threat to identify the suspect. Authorities confirmed Sunday that no bombs were found, highlighting concerns over public safety in Seoul's crowded venues.