False bomb threat at Olympic Arena

[Anchor]

A threatening letter stating a bomb has been planted caused a commotion at a large department store a few days ago, and today (Aug. 10) it happened at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena.

An idol group's performance was scheduled, causing chaos to ensue in the area.

What should be done about these ongoing false reports?

Reporter Bae Ji-hyun has the story.

[Report]

The Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena has a capacity of over 16,000 seats.

Outside, access control lines were set up, and police special forces searched the area.

Around 2 PM today, a fax containing a bomb threat was received by the Korea Sports Industry Development, which is the organization managing Olympic Park.

[Witness/Voice Altered: "We received a report of a bomb, and we were told to evacuate everyone. When we came out, a lot of police cars and fire trucks had arrived..."]

The fax contained a message stating that the area would be blown up between 4:43 PM and 8:10 PM.'

This was the location where an idol group concert was scheduled to start at 4 PM.

Management immediately reported it to the police, and about 2,000 people, including concert staff and waiting audience members, were evacuated.

The police dispatched over 50 personnel, including the Seoul Police Agency's mobile patrol unit and special forces, while the fire department sent 19 fire trucks and over 70 personnel.

After about an hour of searching, no explosives were found, and the police completed their search around 4:30 PM.

The idol group's performance was held two hours later than originally scheduled, and the audience breathed a sigh of relief.

[Jung Ji-min/Resident of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province: "I came from far away and was worried it would be canceled, but I'm glad I could get in."]

Threats targeting unspecified large groups can result in up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.

The police are tracking the source of the threatening fax.

This is KBS News, Bae Ji-hyun.