Panic in Seoul as Homemade Bomb Threat Emerges

In the early hours of July 21, a resident in his 40s, identified as A, was abruptly awakened and forced to flee his apartment in Sanggum-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul, due to a bomb threat. At around 1:30 AM, police knocked urgently on his door, warning that someone had placed a homemade bomb inside the building and that residents needed to evacuate immediately. The situation escalated with the deployment of a police SWAT team and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, leading to the evacuation of over 100 residents to nearby health centers and motels, leaving them anxious throughout the night. A expressed his fear, stating, "There was a bomb just a few floors below us. It’s terrifying to think what could have happened if it had exploded."
The incident follows a shocking case on July 20, where a 62-year-old man named Jo, from Songdo, Incheon, killed his son with a homemade firearm and was later found to have constructed bombs at his Dobong-gu residence. This has raised significant concerns about the threat of homemade explosives in South Korea, highlighting that the country is not immune to such dangers. Authorities discovered multiple improvised bombs made from 1.5-liter bottles containing flammable substances like thinner, along with detergent and milk containers rigged with timer detonators.
During police questioning, Jo admitted to learning how to make bombs and firearms by watching YouTube videos. This alarming reality underscores the potential for ordinary individuals to access information online and create weapons of mass destruction to harm others.
On July 22, a team from our publication explored the availability of bomb-making materials by visiting a chemical supply street in Euljiro, Seoul, after researching bomb construction methods on YouTube. Remarkably, it took less than an hour to gather the necessary components. In South Korea, manufacturing or possessing explosives can lead to a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, and those who post instructions for making firearms or explosives online can also face legal consequences. However, there are challenges in regulating foreign websites like YouTube, which host such content.
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