(3rd LD) U.S. Embassy in Seoul gets white powder mail

(ATTN: UPDATES with details in paras 3-4, 6; CORRECTS the name of toxin in para 7)
SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korean authorities were on alert Thursday after an envelope containing unidentified white powder was mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is the latest to receive such suspicious envelops. The
U.S. State Department said earlier that similar envelops had been mailed to more
than 40 offices of U.S. governors as well as its embassies since earlier this
month. All have tested negative so far.
South Korea's intelligence agency tentatively concluded that the powder is not
harmful, a source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Based on the test results by several agencies, we believe it is unlikely to be
toxic," the source said.
The suspicious mailings sparked security concerns a few weeks before U.S.
President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.
South Korean police said the Texas-postmarked envelope was delivered to the U.S.
Embassy in Seoul Wednesday morning and removed for testing.
One test found ricin in the powder, a poisonous protein that could cause death if
inhaled in large quantity, but other tests turned out negative, the Korea Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention said.
"Details will be revealed after tests are concluded over the weekend," a Center
official said.
In 2001, letters containing anthrax killed five people and spread panic in the
United States.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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