South Korean authorities probing parcel containing ‘unknown gas’ sent from Taiwan

South Korean authorities are investigating a suspicious parcel sent from Taiwan to a residence in Cheonan, a city south of the capital Seoul, that contained an “unknown gas”.

A police report was lodged about the parcel that was delivered at around 12.40pm on Saturday (11.40am Singapore time). The parcel was wrapped in an A4-sized plastic bag.

Police and a team of explosive ordnance disposal experts were dispatched to the scene. An X-ray scan detected an unidentified gas inside and the parcel was taken for further investigation.

More than 1,600 suspicious international parcels had been reported across the country in the past few days, Yonhap News Agency reported.

However, none of them contained hazardous or poisonous substances. Most of the parcels comprised lip balm or other cheap items, and some were empty.

The police said the bizarre phenomenon

could be a “brushing scam”,

in which sellers on e-commerce platforms send unordered products to people after illegally acquiring their personal information. The scam is said to boost sales and manipulate the sellers’ ratings.

The authorities advised the public to remain vigilant and look out for suspicious international parcels, which could have yellow or black packaging and are sent from a PO Box in Taipei, Taiwan.

The Taipei Mission in South Korea said it found such parcels originated from China. They would arrive in South Korea after transiting in Taiwan.