Police intervene after Genshin Impact Summer Festival bomb threat in Seoul

The Genshin Impact Summer Festival 2023 event in Seoul, South Korea was evacuated by police after a picture of a homemade bomb was posted to Twitter, with the user threatening to detonate it at the event “when the time arrives.”

Genshin Impact is a massively popular game with fans all around the globe that have fallen in love with its open world, ever-growing story, and fun character designs.

South Korean Genshin fans were excited to attend the Genshin Impact Summer Festival at the Olympic Park in Seoul to meet other fans and show off their cosplays.

However, a Twitter user posted a picture of what appeared to be a homemade bomb along with a threat to detonate it at the Genshin Impact event, leading to police intervention that forced cosplayers and fans to evacuate.

Genshin Impact fans forced to evacuate event due to bomb threat

The now-suspended Twitter user’s picture displayed a rigged pressure cooker that appeared to be an improvised explosive, one they threatened to detonate at the event.

Though the Twitter user is still at large and the bomb hasn’t been found, according to a report from South Korean news outlet Yonhap, the venue still had to be evacuated to ensure the safety of those attending.

The Tweet displays a pressure cooker filled with what appears to be explosives placed inside a tote bag, along with pictures of the venue. The bomb threat was paired with a motive, one that explains this threat was specifically aimed at Genshin Impact players.

Photos from the aftermath of the threat show cosplayers packing it up as large police trucks arrived to investigate.

The Olympic Park was immediately evacuated as police scanned for the bomb and ensured the event was safe to continue. And, after they looked through the entire building, fans were able to re-enter the venue and return to the festivities.