With the fear of biological and chemical terrorist threats sweeping the country, several false alarms continue to be reported according to Yongsan Police Office Monday. In Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the Eighth US Army base is located, a suspicious white substance reported to police was found to be flour, similar to an incident on October 13.

Yongasan police said a person identified as a Lee, 36 reported at around 10:00am Monday that a white powder was scattered on the sidewalk next to the Namsan Gym in Itaewon-dong, but as in Saturday’s incident this turned out to be flour.

The flour had been scattered by an US military association of runners taking part in a hare and hounds race from the USFK hospital, however, police said it sent the powder to National Institute of Scientific Investigation for chemical analysis to be on the safe side. The office has asked the USFK to stop the use of flour on road and the responsible authorities will make an announcement through AFN-KOREA.

On Sunday, someone reported to the emergency 112 services that two people apparently left a suspicious paper bag on a sidewalk across from the Peace Gate at the Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, but according to some 50 policemen who rushed to the spot, the sack had clothes in it.

(Choi Jae-hyeok, jhchoi@chosun.com )