The Taipei Mission in South Korea has said it found that suspicious international packages reported nationwide were sent from China.

In a message posted on its website Friday, the mission said it alerted its customs agency to immediately look into the latest case and found that the parcels were initially sent from China and arrived in South Korea via Taiwan. 

The mission said it has shared the findings and related materials with the Korean police and that relevant agencies of both countries are currently in close contact and coordinating on the matter.

The mission also said it is aware of local media attention on the suspicious packages and that local governments were also warning citizens not to open them.

The string of incidents began when a parcel suspected of containing hazardous substances arrived at a welfare center in Ulsan on Thursday. Since then similar deliveries were reported across the country.

The Korea Post has decided to temporarily suspend suspicious parcels coming from abroad while people are urged not to open them but call the police.

According to the National Police Agency, it received 987 similar reports as of 5 a.m. Saturday with the number expected to grow. While nearly 700 were mistaken reports, the remaining packages were retrieved for further inspection while no harmful materials have yet been detected.