Hyundai Group hit with bomb threat demanding $1.1 million in Bitcoin

Hyundai Group’s headquarters in Seoul has received a threatening email demanding 13 Bitcoins. The email stated that if the demand were not met, there would be an explosion at the Jongno District building and other facilities.

According to South Korea’s police, they received a report about a threat email stating, “If you do not give me 13 Bitcoins, I will blow up the Hyundai Group building at 11:30 AM and then take a bomb to Yangjae-dong and detonate it.”

The email warned of the bomb attack on the Hyundai Group building in Yeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and the Hyundai Motor Group tower in Yangja-dong, Seocho-gu.

The 13 BTC is worth $1.1 million(KRW 16.4 billion) at current prices.

A rise in bomb threats against ‘Chaebols’ companies

After the report, the Police immediately dispatched special forces and other personnel to both locations and conducted a thorough search. However, no objects suspected of being explosive devices have been found so far, and operations at the sites were gradually normalized.

This incident comes amid a worrying rise in threats against large Korean companies. Recently, the country’s biggest family business, Samsung, also received similar threats. The illegal actor named Samsung Electronics and directly referred to the ‘Chaebol’ Lee Jae-yong, Samsung’s executive chairman.

According to reports, a message posted on Kakao‘s customer service bulletin board claimed, “I will blow up Samsung Electronics’ headquarters in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, and shoot Chairman Lee Jae-yong with a homemade gun.” 

Additionally, another post appeared in KT‘s online sign-up form. It read, “I installed a homemade bomb at KT’s Bundang building in Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam”. That statement triggered immediate concern and led to checks on critical infrastructure.

Kakao’s Jeju headquarters and Pangyo office, as well as Naver, have also received similar threats recently. This similarly caused police to launch an investigation to identify the perpetrators.

South Korea’s authorities have stated that no explosives have been confirmed in all these cases. However, anxiety among employees and local residents has been growing.

Recently, a Nigerian number was tracked to have sent bomb threats after asking for $30,000 in Bitcoin. The number sent the message to three foreign schools in Indonesia, one in North Jakarta and two in South Tangerang.

The sender said they had put bombs in the schools and would set them off in 45 minutes if their ransom demand was not satisfied. They wrote, “A message for EVERYONE.” We have bombs in your school, and if you don’t send us $30,000 to our Bitcoin address within 45 minutes, the bombs will detonate.”

South Korea’s regulators to implement stricter measures by mid-2026

South Korea’s regulatory and enforcement agencies are intensifying efforts to combat crypto crimes. The country is poised to enhance its anti-money laundering (AML) frameworks and address vulnerabilities in the crypto sector. By the middle of 2026, these steps should be finished.

The urgency for these changes has been pushed by high-profile incidents, including a $30 million hack at Upbit. According to the authorities, North Korea’s Lazarus hacking group was responsible for the attack. The breach occurred amid a press event for Naver Corp.’s $10.3 billion acquisition of Upbit’s parent company, Dunamu Inc.

Authorities are investigating the incident, with similarities noted to a 2019 attack also linked to North Korea’s Lazarus. In response, Upbit suspended deposits and withdrawals and pledged to cover the losses using its own assets to protect user funds. 

As reported by Cryptopolitan, North Korea’s illicit actors stole $2.02 billion out of more than $3.4 billion stolen from January through early December this year. This is a 51% increase year-over-year and $681 million more than in 2024, when the threat actors stole $1.3 billion. According to the report, the hackers maximized their theft of assets multiple times.

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