U.S. Embassy in Seoul gets white powder mail

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SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Yonhap) -- An envelope containing unidentified white powder was
mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul earlier this week and is being tested for
toxins, South Korean police said Thursday.
Up to 18 U.S. embassies in Europe and Asia received white powder this month,
sparking security concerns less than a month before U.S. President-elect Barack
Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.
The envelope postmarked Texas was delivered to the U.S. embassy in central Seoul
Wednesday morning and has been sent to South Korean authorities for testing, the
National Police Agency said.
One test found Lysine, a protienic material believed to be fairly harmful to
humans, in the powder, but most of the tests turned out negative, the Korea
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
"Details will be revealed after tests are concluded over the weekend,??? an
official said.
According to the U.S. State Department, envelopes containing the suspicious
powder have been mailed to more than 40 governors across the United States as
well as its embassies since earlier this month. All contents have tested negative
so far.
In 2001, letters containing anthrax killed five people and spread panic in the
United States.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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