White powder sent to U.S. Embassy in Seoul found to be harmless

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- White powder sent in an envelope to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul this week was found to be harmless, officials said Friday.

The envelope bearing a Texas postmark was mailed to the embassy on Christmas Eve,
with unidentified white powder contained inside.
The U.S. Embassy here was the latest to receive a suspicious envelope. The U.S.
State Department said earlier that similar envelopes 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.
The suspicious mailings sparked security concerns a few weeks before U.S.
President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.
"After two days of inspection, we have concluded that the powder was harmless
material, not related to anthrax or ricin," the Korea Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention said in a statement.
Anthrax is a disease caused by a bacterium that can be made into an inhalable
powder, while ricin is a protein toxin extracted from beans, which can be dried,
purified, and made into an inhalable powder.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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