Another 'Explosives Planted' Fax Causes Evacuations at Five Schools in Busan and Incheon

Threatening Faxes Sent Under the Name of a Japanese Lawyer
to Two Middle Schools and Three High Schools

On the 29th of last month, a report was received that an explosive device had been planted at a high school in Busan, and the fire authorities are conducting a search. Photo by Yonhap News

There was a temporary commotion as students were evacuated after threatening faxes were received, claiming that explosive devices had been planted at five schools in the Busan and Incheon regions. After police and fire authorities completed on-site searches, no hazardous materials were found.

According to Yonhap News on September 8, at around 9:30 a.m. that day, a threatening fax under the name of a Japanese lawyer was received at Middle School A in Mandeok-dong, Buk-gu, Busan. The school reported the incident to the police at around 10:30 a.m. and evacuated 560 students. Police and the initial response team from the fire department conducted a search of the school, but by around 11:50 a.m., it was confirmed that there were no explosive devices.

A similar fax was received at the same time at Middle School B in Suyeong-gu, Busan, but no explosives were found. On the 29th of last month, two high schools in Busan also received similar threats, but all were confirmed to be false.

Around 10 a.m. on the same day, threatening faxes under the name of a Japanese lawyer were also received at two high schools in Ganghwa County, Incheon, and one high school in Seo-gu, Incheon. Two of these schools had also received similar faxes last month. Police were dispatched to all three schools, completed searches of the premises, and allowed students to return to their classrooms. A police official stated, "We plan to strengthen patrols in nearby areas and maintain a cooperative system with related agencies."

Bomb threats impersonating Japanese lawyers have continued in South Korea since 2023, and so far, all have been confirmed as pranks or copycat crimes. Police are currently conducting an international joint investigation to track down the senders of the threatening faxes that have recently been sent to schools in Busan, Incheon, Seoul, and other regions nationwide.