Police and the military launched an investigation Saturday after an explosive device was found at a construction site in eastern Seoul.

The fire station in Seongdong-gu received a report at 9:22 a.m. that a bomb was discovered at an apartment reconstruction site in the district.

An excavator operator reportedly found the weapon buried about 5 meters underground.

Police immediately evacuated the workers and cordoned off the place.

"It appears to be a 155mm high explosive military bomb used during the Korean War (1950-53)," a police officer said.

"The risk of detonation has yet to be determined, and the authorities will closely examine the device after recovering it," he added.

Source: Yonhap News Agency