1,700 evacuate Korea Post building due to unknown package

Multiple packages containing unknown substances, sent from overseas and being delivered to random places in Korea, have recently been raising concern around the country.

Emergency responders in full protection gear enter a post office in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, on Friday after an unknown package from overseas was reported. On Thursday, three people in Ulsan were sent to the hospital after opening similar packages. [YONHAP]

The Korea Post headquarters in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, had to evacuate some 1,700 people from its building on Friday afternoon after a package containing an unknown substance was found.

The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses is reportedly analyzing the package.

Multiple packages containing unknown substances, sent from overseas and being delivered to random places in Korea, have recently been raising concern around the country.

According to the National Police Agency on Friday, packages that were sent to three people at a welfare center for people with disabilities in Ulsan on Thursday have been showing up in other parts of the country.

Similar packages, which were all sent from overseas, appeared in Seoul, Daejeon, Yongin in Gyeonggi, Haman in North Gyeongsang and in Jeju.

One common feature of the packages is that there is a Chunghwa Post sticker on the yellow or black wrapping.

Many packages were addressed from P.O. Box 100561-1003777, Taipei Taiwan.

Some of the packages were addressed from Malaysia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

It has been reported that the inside of the packages contain an odorless dough-like material or an object shaped like a cosmetics product.

The three people in Ulsan were sent to the hospital after they reported symptoms of dizziness and shortness of breath after opening the parcels.

None of the packages contained any explosives or radioactive materials.

The Korea Post said it plans to thoroughly check postal packages that are delivered from overseas for safety before sending them to the designated addresses.

The post office warned against opening any suspicious packages from overseas if receivers haven't recently placed an order from abroad, and especially packages that are double-wrapped.

In 2020, a similar incident happened in the United States, Canada and Japan, where the sender was addressed from P.O. Box 100561-1003777, Taipei Taiwan.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture concluded it was a brushing scam, a malicious e-commerce technique that delivers packages to falsely boost a site's number of orders.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]