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Police probe series of threats faxed under Japanese lawyer's name

Published: 11 Aug. 2025, 18:25 Updated: 11 Aug. 2025, 20:24

Special forces officers move after completing a search at KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 10 following a report of an explosive device. [YONHAP]

Police are investigating a series of threats made under the names of Japanese lawyers, including one currently practising, and are working with foreign authorities to identify the suspect, officials said Monday.

Since August 2023, police have received 44 such reports, now consolidated under the cybercrime unit at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Two threats this month — a bomb threat targeting the KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul, and a sulfuric acid attack threat — were both sent by fax using the same number.

The Aug. 7 threat warned of a sulfuric acid attack on schools and students, signed in the name of Japanese lawyer Takahiro Karasawa. A day earlier, a fax had threatened to plant explosives at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena, using another lawyer’s name but the same fax number. Authorities are investigating the two incidents together.

Of the 44 total reports, 18 were sent by email and 26 by fax. Not all fax numbers were the same, but the two cases reported in August were confirmed to share one.

To identify the suspect, police have requested cooperation from Interpol three times and filed five mutual legal assistance requests. They also held a joint meeting with Japanese Embassy officials in January and plan to hold another with Japanese counterparts in coordination with the National Police Agency headquarters.

The suspect’s use of Karasawa’s name appears intentional. Karasawa is a practicing Japanese attorney known for his adversarial relationship with the far-right Japanese online community 2channel, often compared to Korea’s Ilbe.

“Regardless of whether the threats can be carried out, public concern is growing and law enforcement resources are being wasted, so we will actively conduct joint investigations and do our best to ensure a swift judicial process,” the police official said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]