Hyundai Group and Hyundai Motor Group, two of South Korea’s leading industrial giants, have made headlines due to bomb threats and cryptocurrency blackmail via email.
Threat messages sent to Hyundai Group and Hyundai Motor Group office buildings in Seoul claimed they would blow up the buildings if 13 Bitcoins were not paid.
The threat statements included not only targeting existing buildings but also moving explosives to Seoul’s Yangjae-dong district to carry out additional attacks. Following this incident, the South Korean police were put on alert.
Special operations teams and mine clearance units were dispatched to the site and extensive searches were carried out in the buildings. So far, no explosive device has been found.
Authorities announced that some areas had been temporarily evacuated and entry and exit points were being monitored for the safety of employees. Police sources said the digital evidence was being meticulously examined to determine the veracity of the threat and the origin of the blackmail.
According to press reports, the Hyundai incident may be part of a recent wave of similar threats targeting major companies in South Korea. Leading technology and communications companies such as Samsung, KT, Kakao and Naver have also reportedly received similar threatening emails recently.
Authorities stressed that such incidents threaten public safety and announced a full-scale investigation to apprehend the suspects. Police urged the public and company employees to immediately report suspicious activities and noted that international cooperation against cryptocurrency-based blackmail attempts was also on the agenda.
*This does not constitute investment advice.