Considering the ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, many quickly thought the worst and wondered whether their last few moments on Earth could be spent doing something better (like not writing up a feature piece on a sporting event).
Others took to Twitter to vent their frustration at not knowing how to read Korean.
But if the alert wasn't enough to spook everyone, spectators and journalists attending a preliminary curling event in Gangneung were also caught off-guard by sounding emergency sirens, according to AP.
Thankfully, the phone message, which was sent out at roughly 9:15 a.m. local time, was just a warning about a fire that had broken out in a nearby construction zone.
It is unclear why the sirens were initiated.