Department Stores, Concert Halls... Terror Threats Almost Daily

Recently, 'terror threats' targeting public facilities have been occurring nationwide. Although all have been revealed as false threats, the impact on daily life is significant. Some citizens express anxiety, and there are concerns that continued false threats could lead to a spread of 'safety insensitivity'. The police plan to respond strongly to false threats as public anxiety rises and public power is being wasted.

On the 12th, according to a comprehensive report by Financial News, a total of 7 terror threats targeting public places occurred nationwide over the past week. Starting with two bomb threats at Shinsegae Department Store on the 5th and 6th, there were also threats of sulfuric acid attacks targeting students, bomb threats at a swimming pool in Busan, bomb threats at a game company, bomb threats at a gymnastics stadium, and bomb installation threats at Lotte Department Store in Gwangju, showing a variety of types.

Each time such threats occur, dozens to hundreds of citizens are evacuated urgently, and hundreds of police special forces are deployed for on-site searches, causing great confusion. However, no dangerous materials were found, and all were revealed to be false threats.

As false threats continue daily, citizens' anxiety is also growing. A worker, Mr. Shin (36), said, "With daily terror warnings, it feels like threats are penetrating into everyday life," and expressed concern, "I'm worried about what will happen if a real terror attack occurs."

False terror threats have been pointed out as a major problem because they increase public anxiety and social chaos, even if they do not lead to actual crimes. If economic losses and administrative waste due to the deployment of public power are added, the scale of damage is expected to grow even larger.

The bigger problem is that as false bomb and terror threats continue, 'safety insensitivity' could spread among citizens. Initially, there is tension, but if nothing happens repeatedly, the perception that it will be 'false again' may take hold, leading to delayed or ignored responses when a real threat occurs.

In fact, some citizens have not perceived recent false threats as real threats. Mr. Lee (29) said, "With so many false threats these days, I first think it seems like children playing pranks," and added, "The more this happens, the more I think 'it must be a prank again'." Ms. No (32) also said, "Generally, terror threats seem to be considered nothing more than children's pranks."

Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of the Police Science Department at Konkuk University said, "Initially, there is a sensitive reaction to terror threats, and government agencies conduct thorough searches, but if false threats continue to be repeated, there is a possibility of becoming desensitized to danger, like the 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' scenario," and emphasized, "Security is not only about reducing the actual number of crimes but also making citizens feel safe, so the government and related agencies need to view this issue more sensitively."

The police consider the public anxiety and social losses caused by terror threats to be serious. They plan to actively consider follow-up measures such as severe criminal punishment and, if necessary, civil damage claims. They also intend to respond strictly through cooperative investigations for unresolved cases such as terror threats using faxes.

A representative of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated in a briefing the previous day, "Regardless of the possibility of terror execution, public anxiety is increasing and public power is being wasted, so we will do our best to ensure judicial processing through active cooperative investigations."


welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yuha Reporter