Pangyo: All employees of Kakao Corp. have been ordered to work from home after receiving a bomb threat at its headquarters in Pangyo, south of Seoul, the messenger app operator announced.

According to Yonhap News Agency, earlier in the day, Kakao reported the bomb threat to the police. The threat was received through the company's customer service center at 11:09 a.m. "As we prioritize employee safety above all else, we transitioned all staff to work remotely," an official from Kakao stated.

The suspect reportedly communicated via Kakao's customer service board, claiming twice that a self-made explosive device had been placed in the company's office. Furthermore, the suspect allegedly threatened to kill high-level company officials with a homemade gun and demanded the company transfer 10 billion won (approximately US$6.8 million) to a specified bank account.

Police have responded by deploying special forces and military personnel to Kakao's Pangyo office building to conduct a thorough search for any explosives.