Beijing is looking into claims made by South Koreans that China was sending random foreign packages, some of which might have contained unknown hazardous items.
On Tuesday, Seoul said that police had gotten 2,793 reports of suspicious international packages from throughout the nation, reported by The South China Morning Post.
South Korea Issues Warning
There were 679 cases investigated, but no links to terrorism were found, and no toxic or dangerous substances were found. On Thursday, a care facility for people with disabilities in Ulsan, in the southeast, reported the first suspicious package to the authorities. After opening a box, three facility employees were taken to the hospital with breathing problems and dizziness.
The package's invoice revealed that it had been shipped from Taiwan. However, the Taipei mission in South Korea claimed that the parcel had come from Shenzhen in southern China and had traveled to South Korea via Taiwan following an inquiry by Taiwan's customs office.
Soon after, complaints of similar suspicious items spread across the country, forcing the South Korean government to warn its citizens not to open packages unless they indicated the sender's identity.
A suspicious package was discovered on the first level of the 21-story Seoul Central Post Office in Seoul's popular shopping neighborhood of Myeongdong, prompting the temporary evacuation of more than 1,700 individuals.
The island's postal service, Taiwan's Chunghwa Post, announced on Tuesday that it had stopped receiving and delivering stopover mail from Shenzhen, tightened source controls, and implemented several control and preventive measures to "improve the security of cargo."
Chinese internet shopping malls frequently use stopover mail since it has lower delivery costs than the direct post service.
While some parcels were empty, others included lip balm or other inexpensive goods.
Investigators in South Korea are looking into the likelihood that the parcels are related to the "brushing scam" perpetrated by Chinese online shopping malls, in which products are sent arbitrarily from a foreign sender to manipulate business performance or create phony favorable ratings.
Mysterious Parcels From China
Unknown seeds were shipped to several individuals in the US and Canada in 2020 from the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou.
Authorities warned not to plant the seeds due to worries about the potential for bioterrorism. Later, US Department of Agriculture investigators established that the shipments were a component of a sweeping fraud.
Regardless of the reason for the parcels, they have caused alarm among recipients and government officials. In some cases, the seeds are of invasive species, which could threaten native plants and animals. In other cases, the seeds are contaminated with harmful bacteria or viruses.
The mysterious parcels from China are a reminder of the potential dangers of unsolicited packages. If you receive an unsolicited package, it is important to be cautious and to contact your local authorities if you are concerned.
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