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South Korean police have launched a search for an individual who posted an online message claiming that an explosive device had been planted at a high school in the southwestern city of Gwangju, authorities said Sunday. The threat surfaced amid a controversy over trash talk by baseball players from a Seoul school.

According to the Korean National Police Agency, an investigation was launched after police and fire authorities received a report Saturday regarding an online message that claimed a bomb had been placed at Gwangju Jeil High School. Police searched the school Saturday but did not find an explosive device.

The police agency described the act as "an obvious crime that infringes on students' right to study and undermined the people's peaceful daily life," in a statement reported by Yonhap News.

Coverage Comparison

Both reports from Yonhap News — English focus on the police response to the threat, emphasizing the search operation and the investigation into the person behind the online post. The first report, published Saturday, details the initial search at the school and notes that no explosives were found. The second, published Sunday, shifts the focus to the nationwide search for the individual who made the threat.

The two reports also link the threat to a recent controversy involving school baseball teams. Some players from Pai Chai High School in Seoul were heard shouting phrases such as "Let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day" toward the Gwangju Jeil dugout during a high school baseball tournament, sparking accusations of mockery and regional insults, according to Yonhap.

The threatening message on an online community claimed that the "future of Pai Chai High School has been violated," in what appeared to be a reference to the baseball controversy, Yonhap reported.

Key Claims

  • An online post claimed an explosive device was planted at Gwangju Jeil High School. Police and fire authorities received a report regarding the online message.
  • Police and fire authorities searched the school but found no explosive devices.
  • The threatening message referenced a recent controversy involving school baseball teams.
  • Pai Chai High School players used insensitive trash talk during a baseball tournament.
  • The Korea Baseball Softball Association imposed a six-month suspension on Pai Chai's baseball team.
  • The phrases used by Pai Chai players were linked to a controversial Starbucks Korea promotion.
  • Police launched a search for an individual who wrote the online post.
  • An investigation was launched after police received a report about the online message.
  • Pai Chai High School plans to hold an official apology event.

Background: The Baseball Trash Talk Controversy

The threat comes after a controversy erupted over remarks made by some players of Pai Chai High School in Seoul. During a recent high school baseball tournament, players were heard shouting phrases like "Let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day" toward the Gwangju Jeil dugout, prompting accusations of mockery and regional insults, as reported by Yonhap.

The phrases were linked to a controversial Starbucks Korea promotion that ran on May 18, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising. The campaign offered discounted "Tank" tumbler sets under the slogan "Put it on the table with a sound of 'Tak!'," with "tank" evoking memories of the military crackdown during the uprising and "tak" drawing criticism for its association with student activist Park Jong-cheol, whose 1987 death under police torture became a symbol of South Korea's democratization movement, according to Yonhap.

Amid strong criticism, the Korea Baseball Softball Association imposed a six-month suspension on Pai Chai's baseball team as a disciplinary measure, Yonhap reported.

Pai Chai High School plans to hold an official apology event, according to Yonhap.

Perspectives

Police

The Korean National Police Agency called the act "an obvious crime that infringes on students' right to study and undermined the people's peaceful daily life," and said it has launched a search for the individual who wrote the online post.

School officials

Gwangju Bukbu Police Station officials reported the search at Gwangju Jeil High School and confirmed that no explosive devices were found. The school has not issued a separate public statement, but the situation is being handled by authorities.

Pai Chai High School

Pai Chai High School plans to hold an official apology event in response to the controversy involving its baseball players, according to Yonhap.