ISIS-linked Group Threaten to Bomb Coex Mall in Seoul

[nana-the-dwarf.livejournal.com]

SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Police said Sunday they have received intelligence claiming that a group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) has threatened to bomb a store in a posh Seoul district.



In a posting on social media, the unidentified group said they would detonate explosives at a shop near COEX, a large shopping mall complex in the wealthy district of Gangnam, a police official said, asking not to be named.

The intelligence was received through the National Intelligence Service, which cited information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The attack is said to be planned for Sunday, though no specific time has been mentioned.

Police said they have beefed up security in the area to prepare for contingencies.

==

According to S.Korean police, #ISIS related group has uploaded their bomb terror plan at #COEX on social media. Police is investigating..

— Jaehwan Cho 조재환 (@hohocho) October 25, 2015

I heard @GirlsGeneration Taeyeon's concert is to be held soon at #COEX in #Seoul. It seems like growing fears among SM staffs due to #ISIS

— Jaehwan Cho 조재환 (@hohocho) October 25, 2015

Very latest photo of #COEX in #Seoul. Police is enhancing their effort to secure the place with peaceful situation. pic.twitter.com/AlXL3R4L6J

— Jaehwan Cho 조재환 (@hohocho) October 25, 2015

17:16 KST in #Seoul. No more threats from terrorist groups like #ISIS towards #COEX. Terror possibility is long way off, says police.

— Jaehwan Cho 조재환 (@hohocho) October 25, 2015

==
Sources: Yonhap News, Daum, Jaehwan Cho

==

Holy. Shit. I hope it remains just a threat. They should cancel the concert and evacuate everyone until it's deemed safe.

COEX mall is right beside COEX SM Artium and Theatre where Taeyeon's concert is being held tonight.

---

Omg, mods. I hope you don't mind me updating the post as soon as it was approved, but this new piece of info has been released. It didn't seem prudent to make a whole new post for it.

I edited the past tweets under the spoiler and only the new one is shown. Apologies.

Comments

[kwonsoonyoung.livejournal.com]

they've been threatening a lot of countries but nothing has happened. still though, i hope nothing bad will happen and everyone is safe.

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

Seems that they were ready to ensure safety for everyone, which is the most important info here.
I'm a bit surprised that South Korea would be threatened by ISIS? Was their army involved in Iraq?

[kimbafierce.livejournal.com]

It doesn't necessary have t be ISIS tho, like idk what I'm talking about but could it not be a stupid hoax from some good for nothing ass..?

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

I hope for them, dealing with a stupid person behind a stupid hoax is a lot better than dealing with ISIS or any other terrorist group... I asked solely because ISIS was mentioned in the tweets :)

[xoshio.livejournal.com]

I don't really know about Iraq specifically but I remember my father working with the Korean army a few years back in Kurdistan to help rebuild stuff(results of the Iraq war)/cultural exchange and such
but don't think that has anything to do with it tbh

sorry for editing this so many times hihi but I read about an Islamic group being angry about Korea helping the Kurdish people.

"On October 10, 2004, a little-known Islamist group threatened South Korea in a video posted on an Arabic-language website, promising that they would "make Korea suffer" if its troops were not withdrawn within two weeks. The warning outlined how Korean troops would be attacked "one by one" and also that their families would be targeted in Korea itself.

Not really ISIS but ISIS doesn't like Kurdistan either???

[4minutesluts.livejournal.com]

yeah the kurds are one of the most effective forces against ISIS atm but that does seem a bit too tenuous and old a link to be the cause

[xoshio.livejournal.com]

yeah exactly don't think it has anything to do with it

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

No the Kurds are fighting directly against ISIS so they can't be linked like that. But your input might means that Korea was somehow part of the coalition during the war... idk. Even with that, Korea still seems a bit random, with only one person known for joining them and probably dead. It's not the same as France or UK with many French and British people having joined ISIS already/having stronger networks.

No pb :)

[xoshio.livejournal.com]

oh yeah I know the Kurds are fighting ISIS
This was the only thing I could think of that ISIS might hate Korea for (for helping the kurds) since you asked about them somehow being involved in Iraq

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought about it this way, makes more sense :)
I don't know what they could gain from threatening Korea, apart making clear that they could strike anyone anywhere...
We won't find the reason anyway but it's still interesting (idk if it's the right word for that given all the damage that's being done and how few other countries are doing)

[premonitioner.livejournal.com]

30,000 US troops in Korea, huge number of them in Seoul might have something to do with it

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

Hm, could be a target! I always forget how many US soldiers are based in Korea, it's a huge number

[lillaluhan.livejournal.com]

ISIS are going against everyone and anything, it doesn't matter if those people they're hurting are muslims, Jewish or from any other religion, they're hurting everyone and they're just a bunch of criminals. So yeah, I'm not surprised they're going as far as threatining South Korea too :/

I was in Jordan studying last semester and they threatened to bomb malls in there as well ...

[lillaluhan.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with you! The thing is people nowadays tend to generalize and stereotype and this will only cause harm to innocent people who have nothing to do with it. Take for example Sweden, before yesterday there was a case of murdering of a teacher with middle eastern background and another teenage student who's also not Swedish by an immigrant hater/islamophobia person, the motive of the murder was pure racist and hate on immigrants (confirmed by the Swedish media and police).

It's just sad to see innocent people paying the consequences of those actions made by bunch of criminals and psychopath minds :/ and unfortunately there are people who associate those criminals with other muslims and immigrants who are trying to live their lives peacefully and healthily.

It's a pretty delicate matter and it's extremely easy to fool and mislead other people to believe how ISIS are representing all the muslims.

[fashionxxavenue.livejournal.com]

oh thats scary, i dont live that far from coex

[mjmjchick.livejournal.com]

I was just at COEX yesterday afternoon, so this worried me a bit. However, save for the beefed-up security, it seems like it was business as usual.

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

shit i hope everyone is safe and nothing happens :( though even a simple threat can really mess with your mind

[ironicmustache.livejournal.com]

i know it's to be taken seriously, but the comment on netbuzz that was "well, is would just get lost in coex anyway." definitely made me chuckle.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

I don't think that WW3 might happen soon. More like big wars in only certain countries, like Syria or Iran.