A man in his 20s has been arrested after posting an online threat to plant explosives at a concert of virtual idol group Plave, police said Wednesday.

The Yongin Seobu Police Precinct in Gyeonggi said the suspect is under investigation on charges of making public threats.


The suspect allegedly wrote the message, “I will plant explosives at Gocheok Dome” on social media on Monday, alongside an image of a promotional poster for Plave’s concerts scheduled for Nov. 21 and 22 at the venue in Guro District, western Seoul.

Police launched an investigation after receiving a report from a local resident at around 1:50 p.m. on Sunday and identified the suspect as a resident of Jeonju, North Jeolla. He was apprehended about two and a half hours later.

During questioning, the suspect reportedly told police he “did it as a prank.”

Police said they are considering transferring the case to the precinct with jurisdiction over the suspect’s residence for further investigation.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]