'Received Suspicious Mail' 1,904 Cases in 4 Days... 587 Collected

Amid reports of parcels suspected to contain poison being found across the country, the postal authorities have decided to temporarily suspend the import of similar types of international mail and urged the public to exercise special caution.
The Ministry of Science and ICT Postal Service Headquarters announced on the 21st that there have been consecutive cases of substances suspected to be harmful found in some mail sent from overseas recently. They advised that if suspicious mail is discovered, it should not be opened and must be reported immediately to the police or investigative agencies. The photo shows international mail suspected to contain harmful substances. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Reports of suspicious mail received from overseas have approached 2,000 cases over four days.

According to the National Police Agency on the 23rd, a total of 1,904 reports were received nationwide through the 112 emergency call system from the first report on the 20th until 5 a.m. on the same day, regarding suspicious packages delivered from places such as Taiwan. The number increased by 257 cases within 12 hours from 1,647 cases as of 5 p.m. the previous day. The police have collected and are investigating 587 of these cases. The remaining 1,317 cases were confirmed to be false reports.

By region, Gyeonggi had the highest number with 604 cases, followed by Seoul with 472, Gyeongbuk 89, Incheon 85, and Jeonbuk 80. Chungbuk, Daejeon, and Daegu each reported 66 cases, Busan 64, Jeonnam 54, Gwangju 49, Ulsan 48, Gyeongnam 33, and Jeju 9, with reports continuing nationwide.

Earlier on the 20th of this month, a package suspected to contain gaseous poison was reported at a welfare facility for the disabled in Ulsan. Those who opened the package experienced numbness in their arms and legs, prompting the Defense Science Research Institute to conduct a detailed analysis, but no chemical, biological, or radioactive hazardous substances were detected. Since then, similar reports have continued for four days nationwide. On the 21st, a similar package was found at the Myeongdong Central Post Office in Seoul, causing a commotion as about 1,700 people inside the building were evacuated at once.

Most of these packages contained inexpensive items such as lip balm randomly included or were completely empty. The police are working with related agencies to verify whether the reported mail poses any danger.

The police will check if the contents of the packages are related to any reported symptoms and plan to identify the origin of the mail through international cooperation. The police urge that if you find a package in a yellow or black envelope marked with 'CHUNGHWA POST' and the sender address 'P.O.Box 100561-003777, Taipei Taiwan,' do not open it and immediately report it to the nearest police station or call 112.