"High-Performance Bomb with Needle Installed" Another Terror Threat from Japan Announced

Supreme Court, City Hall, and Subway Stations Mentioned as Targets
Police Request Cooperation from Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for Investigation

Another terror threat email originating from Japan, threatening to blow up major domestic facilities such as government offices and schools, has been sent.

According to the police on the 17th, an email threatening to blow up the Japanese Embassy, Japanese schools, the Supreme Court, and subway stations was sent to South Korea around midnight that day. Goyang, Daegu, Bucheon, Seongnam, Ansan, Anyang, and Incheon City Hall were also targeted for terror attacks.

Amid reports of explosives planted at city halls nationwide, on the afternoon of the 16th, the police special forces and detection dogs are conducting a search for explosives at Incheon City Hall.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The author wrote, "A high-performance bomb with needles has been installed," and stated, "The detonation time is from 3:34 PM on August 18 to 2:07 PM on August 19."

The email was sent from the account of a Japanese law firm that had previously threatened Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 7th. The sender was identified as Takahiro Karasawa (唐澤貴洋), an active lawyer in Japan.

However, on the 9th, he mentioned the threatening email article about Lee Jae-myung on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "It seems my name is being used without permission. In Japan, there are cases where this type of crime is not controlled, and some extremists are committing crimes."

The threat emails sent from Japan to South Korea, starting with the threat against Lee Jae-myung, are now the fifth such incident.

On the 16th, at the Sangyeok Office of Daegu City Hall, the police special forces and detection dogs are conducting an explosive search due to a bomb threat email presumed to have originated from Japan.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Emails threatening to blow up Seoul City Hall, Namsan Tower, and the National Museum of Korea have been sent continuously, causing police to conduct searches daily and citizens to evacuate in a commotion. So far, no dangerous items such as time bombs mentioned in the emails have been found.

The police confirmed that these emails were sent from internet addresses (IP) within Japan and requested investigative cooperation from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, but there has been no significant progress in the investigation.

Recently in Japan, phishing crimes involving stealing others' accounts to send emails have been rampant, so caution is required.

Emails Threatening Bombings Without Specifying Location Also Received

On the morning of the 7th, SWAT team members were patrolling with explosive detection dogs at the domestic departure hall of Gimpo International Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, on the same day, an email threatening to blow up railway facilities without specifying a location was delivered, prompting the police to prepare and conduct searches.

According to the police, a threatening email stating an intention to blow up high-speed railway facilities was received through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. No specific region or exact location was mentioned.

The threatening email was first received by the Korean Embassy in Papua New Guinea, which reported it to the authorities. Since no specific region or exact location was mentioned, the police disseminated the information to police agencies nationwide and deployed special forces, riot police, and detectives to railway stations and major railway facilities.

A police official said, "The threats target the National Museum of Korea, Namsan Tower, the Japanese Embassy, the Supreme Court, subway stations, and city halls across the country, showing a pattern similar to the threat emails sent daily from Japan to South Korea," adding, "We will prepare thoroughly."