A report of a wild bear sighting in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, triggered an emergency alert message, but the search was eventually called off after it was determined to be a false alarm.
At around 4:00 PM yesterday (October 7), a report was received near a hill in Cheon-ri, Idong-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin, stating, "It looks like there is a wild animal resembling a bear far off in the distance."
In response, the city of Yongin sent an emergency text message to residents in the area about two hours and 20 minutes later, advising them to exercise caution as a report of a wild animal sighting in the vicinity was being verified.
However, after fire authorities and Yongin's Environmental Policy Division were dispatched to search the area, no traces of a bear's appearance were found.
Although there is a bear breeding farm near the reported location, it was also confirmed that all 11 bears being raised there had not escaped.
Amid the ongoing search, the initial reporter and their companion eventually changed their statement to the dispatched firefighters, saying, "It might not be a bear, it looks like a goat."
The Yongin Wildlife Damage Control Team, which took over the site, continued the search until sunset and suspended operations after concluding that it was likely a false report.
An official from Yongin explained, "The nearby bear breeding farm is the same farm where an actual Asiatic black bear escape incident occurred back in 2021," adding, "We are placing weight on the possibility that a nearby resident mistook another wild animal, such as a wild boar or a goat, for a bear and made the report."
Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Kim Ki-hyun | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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