Police investigate bomb threat on MLB opener in Seoul

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers prepares for an exhibition game against Team Korea at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Monday. (AP-Yonhap)

South Korean police on Wednesday said they are investigating an anonymous bomb threat on the MLB regular season opener, slated to be held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul later in the day.

According to Guro Police Station, the threat was made via email at around 6 a.m. Wednesday. The threat, issued in English, was traced back to Japan and was sent to the email account of an employee of the South Korean consulate in Vancouver.

An initial probe of the arena showed no indications of explosives, but police plan to dispatch around 150 personnel of the police strike force for a thorough search of the site. The arena will host the MLB season opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres at 7:05 p.m., marking the first time an official MLB game is to be held in South Korea.

South Korean authorities have recently received similar bomb threats on major facilities as well as a politician in Seoul, all of which ultimately turned out to be hoaxes. In August last year, an anonymous bomb threat from Japan was made on Seoul City Hall, which came after threats on Seoul Tower, the National Museum of Korea and main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung.

Police suspect the threats were made by the same individual, and are conducting an investigation into the matter.

Wednesday's season opener hosts stars including two-time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers and 2023 Gold Glove winner Kim Ha-seong of the Padres. The highly coveted tickets for the first game of the Seoul Series sold out in just eight minutes in January, and a pregame performance will feature K-pop girl groups aespa and (G)I-dle.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)