An unidentified package found in Daejeon. (Yonhap)
Unidentified packages without a specific sender or recipient, originating from Taiwan, have been found in several cities, and authorities are now investigating the possibility of terrorism. In Ulsan, three people were hospitalized due to dizziness after opening the package, and an unidentified powder was found.
According to police and fire authorities, an international package from Taiwan was reported at 11:18 a.m. on Friday at a detached house in Jusan-dong, Dong-gu, Daejeon. Investigators collected the package and sent it to the National Forensic Service.
The parcel was confirmed to have been delivered from Taipei, Taiwan, but the sender’s identity is yet to be confirmed.
Police checked surrounding addresses for similar international mail and found another parcel sent from Uzbekistan, for which they requested an inspection.
The Dong-gu Office in Daejeon sent an emergency alert text message to residents there, urging them not to open international packages with unclear sources, and to report it immediately if they receive one.
Meanwhile, a package suspected to contain toxic materials, which also originated from Taiwan, was delivered to a welfare facility for the disabled in Dong-gu, Ulsan, Thursday. Three people reported suffering from dizziness following exposure.
The package was delivered to the facility around noon that day. Upon opening it, three employees experienced difficulty breathing and symptoms of paralysis, according to a statement from the Ulsan Fire Department on the same day.
Three employees — a man in his 50s and women in their 30s and 40s — were transported to a nearby hospital by police. According to reports, they were receiving treatment, but their lives were not in danger.
The package was contained in a yellow bag, and was discovered to contain a colorless, odorless powder.
Due to the potential that the substance could be harmful, police blocked the entrance to the welfare facility and relocated 50 students to alternate buildings. Fire authorities are working to identify the exact nature of the powder found in the package.
In another case, a man who received a similar package in Jeju City on July 11 reported it to police on Thursday. The man was about to throw the package away, but decided to report it to police as the package he received had several similarities to the package found in Ulsan.
The package found on Jeju Island was also shipped from Taiwan and was contained in yellow wrapping paper.
By Lee Jung-youn (jy@heraldcorp.com)
