Seoul, Nov 9 (IANS) About 100 people were evacuated from a Seoul department store after a fake bomb threat was posted online, but no explosives were found, authorities said Sunday.
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, Yonhap News Agency reported.
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.
On late Sunday morning, another bomb threat was posted online, claiming that explosives had been planted at The Hyundai Seoul department store in Yeouido, Seoul’s western district that serves as the capital’s financial hub and home to the National Assembly.
Police and firefighters searched the department store but found no explosives, authorities said, adding that an investigation is currently underway to identify the person who uploaded the post, which was later deleted.
Earlier in September, the state arms procurement agency said that the military will receive homegrown bomb disposal robots from a major defence firm starting at the end of this year, in a move expected to enhance troop safety when fully deployed.
Under a 270 billion-won ($192 million) deal, the explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) devices, developed by defence firm Hanwha Aerospace Co., are expected to be fully deployed across the military by the end of 2027, according to the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA).
In addition to detecting and defusing bombs, the robots are designed to conduct a range of missions, such as carrying out surveillance activities in high-risk areas, building routes in the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone and conducting searches of underground facilities.
“When the homegrown EDO robots are deployed to military units, they will not only enhance the military’s operational capabilities, but more effectively ensure the safety of troops,” a DAPA official said.
–IANS
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