▲ This undated image, captured from the website of the Korea Baseball Softball Association, shows a baseball tournament game between Pai Chai High School in Seoul and Gwangju Jeil High School. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

police-school bomb threat

Police starting to track down person behind Gwangju high school bomb threat

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- Police said Sunday they have launched a search for an individual who wrote an online post claiming that an explosive device had been planted at a high school in the southwestern city of Gwangju amid a controversy over baseball trash talk

The Korean National Police Agency said an investigation was launched after police and fire authorities received a report Saturday regarding an online message that claimed a bomb had been placed at Gwangju Jeil High School.

"This act is an obvious crime that infringes on students' right to study and undermined the people's peaceful daily life," the police agency said.

Police searched the high school Saturday, but an explosive device was not found.

A controversy involving school baseball teams erupted after some players of Pai Chai High School in Seoul derided opponents of Gwangju Jeil with insensitive trash talk during a recent high school baseball tournament.

Some Pai Chai players were heard yelling toward the Gwangju Jeil dugout, "Let's go to Starbucks!" and "Tank Day!" in reference to a controversial promotion by Starbucks Korea on May 18, the anniversary of the Gwangju pro-democracy uprising.

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