South Korea reaches out to China over suspicious parcels

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – South Korea has reached out to China over hundreds of suspicious international parcels received across the country, Beijing confirmed on Monday.

“China has received a request for assistance from South Korea and is conducting relevant investigations,” said Mao Ning, spokeswoman of China’s Foreign Ministry, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper.

Mao said China will “maintain communication with the South Korean side over the issue."

Nearly 700 suspicious packages were received across South Korea over the past week, stoking fears that they could contain hazardous or poisonous material.

But the South Korean Office for Government Policy Coordination said on Monday that no toxic or hazardous substances were found.

"We have confirmed that there are no suspicions of terrorism, as there were no terrorism threats, related intelligence, or casualties," the office said in a statement, adding that a joint investigation is underway with Interpol and other overseas investigative agencies.

Out of a total of 2,141 reports related to the delivery of dubious parcels filed with the police, 679 cases were investigated, excluding false reports.

Yonhap News said Seoul is said to be considering the possibility of a so-called brushing scam, in which a package not ordered by a person is sent from an international sender with the intention of writing fake reviews.