SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean police said they’ve found no explosives at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome after searching the site Wednesday following a reported bomb threat against Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
About 150 police officers used sniffer dogs, X-ray detectors and other equipment to search through the stadium, but no suspicious objects were discovered, according to Seoul’s Guro police station.
Police officers said they acted on a tip that there was a threat targeting the Japanese star but didn’t elaborate.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the search happened after South Korea’s consulate general in Vancouver, Canada received an email threatening to detonate an explosive at the Gocheok stadium during the MLB season opener between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres scheduled to start later Wednesday (3 a.m. PT). The game, which marks Ohtani’s regular-season debut with the Dodgers, will mark the first MLB regular-season game in South Korea. The teams will play again Thursday (also 3 a.m. PT) before returning to the U.S.
Yonhap said the sender of the English-language email claimed to be a Japanese lawyer. Yonhap cited police as suspecting the email might have come from a person who last year allegedly sent a number of similar threatening emails and faxes while claiming to be a Japanese lawyer.
Police and bomb-sniffing canines were seen searching the seats and hallways of the stadium during the morning. The search did not appear to affect game preparations, with groundcrews checking the fields and K-pop performers rehearsing in the outfield.
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Guro police officers said about 350 officers will be deployed by the time the Dodger-Padres game begins.
“The safety and security of our fans and everyone in the ballparks where we play are always our first priority,” MLB said in a statement. “MLB Security works closely with local officials to ensure a safe environment for all those who attend our games.
“MLB, along with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and other local officials, will continue to monitor the situation closely and take any appropriate steps throughout the event.”
The Dodgers set a record with a $700 million, 10-year contract with two-way star Ohtani and a $325 million, 12-year deal with right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and have attracted a rock star during their visit to Seoul.