“Suspicious Parcels” from overseas in various parts of the country…Report 1,904 cases in four days
<Appearance: Yeom Gun-woong, a professor of police department at Yuwon University>
The whole country is buzzing with unidentified international parcels.
Citizens’ anxiety is growing as some who opened the package said they felt dizzy.
Let’s point out what the reality of the case is and whether it is related to the crime.
Yeom Geon-woong, a police professor at Yuwon University, welcome.
<Question 1> Nearly 2,000 suspicious parcel reports from overseas, including Taiwan, were received in four days. The police said the possibility of terrorism was not high. It’s happening simultaneously all over the country. Suddenly, strange international mails are being sent to Korea all at once. What do you think of this incident?
<Question 2> There are also rumors that drugs are contained. This morning, it was even reported that gas was detected in the package delivered to Cheonan. Although it was corrected by a false report, do you think public anxiety is spreading because the substance of the case has not been revealed?
<Question 3> The first report was a welfare facility for the disabled in Ulsan, but it was later found in various parts of the country, not in a specific area. Parcel delivery destinations were also randomly selected, including homes, companies, and factories. There were cheap things like lip balm in there, or there were things that were completely empty. What singularities and commonalities can you identify in this case?
<Question 3-1> It looks different from normal mail in that it is in a yellow, white, or black mail bag and some mails are double-wrapped with plastic etc?
<Question 3-2> The shipping location is almost Taiwan. There were also mails from Malaysia and Uzbekistan. We can’t see each other as a different case, can we?
<Question 4> Although no poison or chemicals were found in the package, caution is required, such as not opening it prematurely. How do I report suspected mail if I find it?
<Question 5> The Taiwanese authorities believed that there were more than 2,500 packages sent to Korea. It has been confirmed that all departed from Shenzhen, China, last month. The government suspects the possibility of shopping mall fraud, or some kind of “brushing scam.” Why would anyone do that?
<Question 6> The police believe that it is the same destination as the ‘Brushing Scam’ fraud case in the United States three years ago. At that time, when I bought clothes at a Chinese shopping mall in Korea, seeds were found in my pocket, causing an issue. What is the purpose of this extensive parcel delivery?
<Question 7> The first shipping destination is China. Why did you cheat on the delivery destination via Taiwan, and do you think it has nothing to do with the crime?
<Question 8> What is clear is that more than 2,500 personal information, including domestic addresses, have been leaked. I don’t think this is a separate case. Maybe someone hacked his personal information and abused it for a crime?
<Question 9> There is no guarantee that terrorism or crime using this international mail delivery system will not occur in the future. Do you think there is a need for new standards for more detailed postal and parcel customs procedures, or any institutional improvements?