No explosives found in search, concert resumes after delay

Staff involved in The Boyz concert reenter the KSPO Dome in the Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Sunday, after a police search confirmed that there were no explosives inside the building. (Yonhap)
Staff involved in The Boyz concert reenter the KSPO Dome in the Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Sunday, after a police search confirmed that there were no explosives inside the building. (Yonhap)

A concert by K-pop boy band The Boyz was delayed for two-hours Sunday due to an anonymous bomb threat against the venue, but was cleared to go ahead after police concluded that the threat was a hoax.

A team of police specialists and fire authorities searched the KSPO Dome in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where the concert was to take place, after the venue's operator, received a fax at around 1:45 p.m. Sunday, saying, "I've set up explosives inside the KSPO dome."

"No suspicious activities were found inside (the KSPO Dome) as of now," the police and fire authorities said, wrapping up their search.

Some 300 fans and personnel were evacuated from the building as a precaution.

The Boyz' concert, which was scheduled for 4 p.m, was postponed until after the bomb threat was cleared, with the show then set to start at 6 p.m.

This is the second time in less than a week that a bomb threat had forced the evacuation of a crowded building. An anonymous online post claimed Tuesday to have set up explosives inside the Shinsegae Department Store in Myeong-dong, Seoul, forcing some 4,000 people to evacuate.

The threat against the department store also turned out to have been a hoax, and was found to have been written by a middle school student who is currently under police investigation.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com