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Photo courtesy of Lotte Shopping. |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] SEOUL, November 9, 2025 — South Korean police launched a citywide search operation on Saturday night after an anonymous online post threatened to bomb Lotte Department Stores in Seoul, prompting temporary evacuations and heightened security alerts.
According to police reports, at 7:34 p.m. on November 8, a message titled “Get out of Seoul Lotte Department Store right now” was uploaded to the online community DC Inside.
The post claimed that “five sticks of dynamite have been planted on the second floor”, urging people to flee, saying “I’m writing this because I want to save lives.”
Police immediately deployed anti-terror response teams to 10 Lotte Department Store branches across Seoul, but no explosives were found following thorough searches.
At the Nowon branch, store management halted operations for movie theaters and restaurants, evacuating about 100 customers as a precautionary measure.
Investigators are currently tracing the IP address of the post’s author to determine the source of the threat.
A Lotte Department Store spokesperson said,
“No irregularities were found during inspections, and we expect normal business operations to resume today.”
Authorities said they are treating the threat as a serious public-safety incident and will consider criminal charges for spreading false information once the suspect is identified.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
