The Boyz have postponed the start of their August 10 concert in Seoul following a reported bomb threat at the venue.
According to their agency IST Entertainment’s subsidiary One Hundred, the delay was initially announced as being due to “internal facility inspections” at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park. The statement, posted to the group’s official social media, read:
“Due to internal facility inspections at KSPO Dome, today’s house opening and concert start time will be delayed. We will inform you of the new time once confirmed. Thank you for your understanding.”
However, According to police and fire authorities, at around 2:00 p.m. on the 10th, a fax was received by Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) at Olympic Park stating that “an explosive device has been installed at KSPO DOME (formerly Gymnastics Stadium).” Police and fire officials immediately launched a joint response and began a safety inspection of the venue.
The police deployed 57 personnel, including members of the mobile patrol unit and the SWAT team, to search the stadium for about an hour. Approximately 2,000 visitors were evacuated, and the site was placed under control. The fire department mobilized 78 personnel and 19 pieces of equipment to assist in the joint operation.
No explosives were found during the search. The police and fire authorities ended the search at 4:22 p.m. and lifted the site control. The fax was sent from an international number originating in Japan, and police are currently pursuing the sender, treating the incident as a “bomb threat fax from Japan.”
A document suspected to be the threat fax, circulated online, shows the sender introducing themselves as a lawyer and writing phrases such as “Many people will die” and “I have no choice but to carry out a terrorist attack.” Japanese translations of these phrases were written at the bottom of the document.
Following the safety inspection, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation announced, “Regarding the report of an explosive device at KSPO DOME, the police and fire department safety inspection found no abnormalities, and the situation has been resolved. For inquiries related to today’s performance, please contact the event organizers.”
On the same day, boy group The Boyz was scheduled to hold their THE BOYZ – THE BLAZE WORLD TOUR in SEOUL concert at 4:00 p.m. However, due to the sudden bomb threat, their agency announced that “the start time of the August 10 concert has been postponed to 6:00 p.m.”
The agency added, “We apologize for the delay in providing guidance due to the safety inspection. As the inspection is now complete, the house will open from 4:45 p.m. We apologize once again for keeping you waiting in the hot weather, and we are distributing cold water around the venue for your comfort.”
Sources: 네이트 뉴스
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