Police brace for bomb threats, AI hoaxes on April Fools’ Day
2026.03.31 15:09
Prank emergency calls, which neared 60 on April Fools’ Day in 2009, have largely given way to online bomb threats and misinformation
| Police and fire authorities arrive at an apartment complex in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, in 2021 after receiving a false call claiming to have planted a bomb in one of the apartments. (Herald DB) |
Police are on heightened alert ahead of April Fools’ Day, amid concerns that social media misuse and generative artificial intelligence could fuel panic and disrupt public order.
Police said Tuesday that fake bomb threats and AI-generated misinformation have largely replaced prank emergency calls, which used to spike around April Fools’ Day.
Emergency authorities said an average of 57 false calls were made to emergency lines on April 1, 2009, prompting anti-prank call campaigns in the early 2010s.
According to the National Police Agency, false reports to the 112 emergency line have averaged 13 to 14 cases a day in 2026. A police official said there has been no notable April Fools’ Day-related spike in false reports in recent years.
Instead, police are increasingly focused on online threats, where perpetrators can cause confusion or the deployment of police by posting bomb threats or other false claims.
Police recorded 177 bomb threat posts last year alone, targeting locations ranging from department stores and company headquarters to subway station restrooms, police substations, schools and aircraft.
In August, a bomb threat targeting a Shinsegae department store led to the evacuation of about 4,000 people and the deployment of 242 personnel, including members of a police special operations unit.
Authorities are also watching for the possible return of “swatting” — false emergency reports intended to trigger an armed police response — which spread rapidly on the messaging platform Discord in 2025.
On Discord, chat rooms centered on so-called high-profile users sometimes evolved into virtual communities marked by shifting alliances and rivalries. Some users were found to have carried out swatting by impersonating others to harass those they had fallen out with.
Although swatting cases have subsided following a series of arrests, police said they are closely monitoring the possibility of a resurgence around April Fools’ Day.
Authorities are also monitoring the use of generative AI to spread false information by creating and disseminating fake images and videos of disasters, accidents and fires.
“The production of fake content or threatening posts can constitute public intimidation against an unspecified number of people, so we will thoroughly track down those responsible, arrest them and seek severe punishment,” a police official said.
Police also said they plan to respond firmly to bomb threats and similar hoaxes that waste public resources, including by filing civil suits for damages.
“In the past, April Fools’ Day prank calls were typically private, one-on-one acts, but they have now evolved into false reports aimed at the public,” said Lee Yoon-ho, a professor of police administration at Dongguk University.
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