All of the calls have been traced back to the same Apink “fan” currently living in Canada.
Last week on November 22 an anonymous person called the Nakano Police Station, a special administrative ward in Tokyo, Japan. The caller said that a bomb was planted at Nakano Zero, a venue for entertainment. At that time, girl group Apink had plans to hold an event at Nakano Zero. Dozens of Japanese police officers were dispatched and stationed at the venue because of the call. Fortunately, like past threats made at venues where Apink members were present, no explosives were found. However, because of police activity the planned event was delayed by about an hour.
This call, and the other four previously reported by Kpoplove, have apparently been only a handful out of over 30. These calls about about explosives have been happening since June when the first threat interrupted the KBS Music Bank half-year special; wherever Apink has gone a threatening call about explosives has followed.
Korea’s National Institute of Scientific Investigation analyzed the caller’s voice and determined all the calls were made by the same person. The suspect’s profile thus far is as follows: a 31-year-old Korean-American man currently residing in Canada. The suspect’s motivation is uncertain, but reportedly traces back to Apink’s appearance on a show earlier this year.
In July the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul requested help from the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to catch the terrorist. Currently, judicial authorities are in the process of filing an extradition claim with the Canadian government. However, since Canadian police failed to secure a suspect the process has been delayed.
The danger and damage caused by the bomb threats continues to grow everyday he remains free. As a result, dozens of police officers have been involved in the investigation. Moreover, events featuring Apink have been disrupted, delayed, or relocated also.
PlanA Entertainment, Apink’s agency, started sharing the group’s schedules with the police and pre-checking event sites due to the frequency of the threats. The director of PlanA Entertainment Oh Jong-heon said, ” My mind and my body are tired from the persistent intimidation of Apink my agency’s.”
Apink had a Japanese comeback on November 23 with their third Japanese album, Pink Stories.
Original article by Chosun Daily
Translated by O.C