Beijing is investigating South Korean reports of international parcels being sent randomly from China, some of which may have contained unknown hazardous materials.
“We have received South Korea’s request for assistance in the investigation. The matter is being looked into. We will stay in touch with South Korea,” said Mao Ning, a spokeswoman at China’s foreign ministry, during a press conference on Monday.
Seoul said on Tuesday that police had received a total of 2,793 reports from across the country of suspicious international parcels. Investigations into 679 cases showed no connections to the terrorism, and no toxic or hazardous substances had been discovered.
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Couriers in China toss customers’ parcels while sorting
Couriers in China toss customers’ parcels while sorting
“We have confirmed that there are no suspicions of terrorism, as there were no terrorism threats, related intelligence, or casualties,” the South Korean prime minister’s office said, adding that a joint investigation will take place with Interpol and other overseas agencies.
Authorities received the first report of a suspicious parcel on Thursday from a care centre for the disabled in the southeastern city of Ulsan. Three workers at the facility were hospitalised with dizziness and breathing difficulties after opening a package.
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Toy fireworks explode when worker unloads parcel in China
Toy fireworks explode when worker unloads parcel in China
An invoice on the parcel indicated it had been sent from Taiwan. But after an investigation by Taiwan’s customs agency, the Taipei mission in South Korea said the parcel had originated from Shenzhen in southern China, and arrived in South Korea via Taiwan.
That was soon followed by nationwide reports of similar suspicious packages, prompting the South Korean government to warn citizens not to open parcels unless they clearly displayed the identity of the sender.
In Seoul, more than 1,700 people were temporarily evacuated from the 21-story Seoul Central Post Office in the popular shopping district of Myeongdong on Friday, after a suspicious parcel was spotted on the first floor.
Taiwan’s Chunghwa Post, the island’s postal agency, said on Tuesday it had suspended the receipt and delivery of stopover mail from Shenzhen, stepped up source controls, and implemented several control and preventive measures to “improve the security of cargo.”
Stopover mail is widely used by Chinese online shopping malls because it reduces delivery costs compared to the direct post service.
Some of the packages contained lip balm or other cheap products while others were empty.
China offers to help investigate mystery seeds sent to US
South Korean investigators are considering the possibility the packages are connected to a “brushing scam” from Chinese online shopping malls, in which packages are delivered randomly from an international sender to manipulate business performance or generate fake positive reviews.In 2020, mysterious seeds were sent from Suzhou in eastern China to various recipients in the United States and Canada. Authorities warned people not to plant the seeds out of concerns over the possibility of bioterrorism. Investigators from the US Department of Agriculture later confirmed the parcels were part of a brushing scam.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51ku6bD0miaoaGelnyltc%2BlpqaZk658or7TopqlnV9of3OEl2lwaJuYnruiecinrZ6rpJ60osDIp55mqpWlvLPA0mafrqaUp7Klv4ysrKyomZi2sMHSZqeaqpOaubR50p6lrWWjpMK1tIykpqudkQ%3D%3D