Defense minister receives threatening parcel
By Jun Ji-hye
Han Min-koo Defense minister
The military and police are investigating a mystery parcel sent to Defense Minister Han Min-koo.
Officials did not rule out the possibility that North Korea was to blame.
“The box postmarked Aug. 24 contained a kitchen knife, white powder and a handwritten letter,” said an official from the Defense Security Command (DSC).
Minister Han was identified as the intended recipient, but there was not a detailed address so it was sent back to the delivery service company in Eunpyeong, western Seoul.
The company reported the package to police on Aug. 28. A joint investigation team with the DSC was then launched.
“We have obtained surveillance camera footage, showing a man in his 20s or 30s leaving the parcel at a convenience store in Eunpyeong,” an official said.
The letter criticized Han for his tough remarks about North Korea, and threatened Han’s family.
“You have spoken too carelessly, raising the risk of nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula. We decided to punish you before everyone dies,” the officials quoted the letter as saying. “We have already began work to figure out you, your house, your family and their movements.”
On the blade of the 32.8 centimeter-long kitchen knife, “Han Min-koo” and “punishment” were written in red. The powder turned out to be flour.
Han has made strong comments regarding the North.
Investigators are paying particular attention to certain words the sender used in the letter, as they are often used in official North Korean dispatches.
The man in the CCTV footage was wearing a black T-shirt and pants, along with a black cap.
“It is assumed that he is 175 centimeters tall,” the official said, adding that the investigation team is monitoring various CCTV footage from surrounding buildings and buses in the hope of figuring out where the sender may reside.
Investigators found two fingerprints on the parcel.
“We confirmed that one of the two belonged to a staff member of the delivery company. We are still working on the other,” the official said. “We are closely working with police.”
In April, then Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin also received a threatening parcel that included white power and a letter. The powder later turned out also to be flour, but the military-police joint investigation team failed to identify the sender.
Regarding the possibility that the same person is responsible for both deliveries, the official said, “Looking into the CCTV footage, the two people seem to be different ages. Their handwriting styles also appear different.”
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