The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will proceed with their MLB season opener in South Korea after a bomb threat against Shohei Ohtani and others, according to the Yonhap News Agency and Los Angeles Times.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency reportedly received an email Wednesday morning threatening to detonate a bomb attack at the Gocheok Sky Dome during the opener to hurt Ohtani and others. Local police are now working to track down the sender, as well as deploy 30 commandos and 120 personnel to search the stadium.
Nothing dangerous or suspicious has reportedly been found yet.
MLB confirmed to the Times the game will proceed as scheduled while pledging to continue monitoring the situation:
“The safety and security of our fans and everyone in the ballparks where we play are always our first priority,” the league 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 game is currently scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. ET, or 7 p.m. in Seoul, the first of two games to be played after an exhibition series in which both teams faced the South Korean national team and a KBO team.
The Dodgers arrived in South Korea last week, after an offseason that cemented Ohtani as the biggest player in baseball and one of the most popular athletes in the world. After winning a second AL MVP award in three years, Ohtani signed a record-shattering 10-year, $700 million with an unprecedented amount of deferred money to aid his contending team.
Ohtani’s presence in South Korea has seen an outpouring of local fans, a rarity in the country that has had a tense relationship at best with Japan historically.
Source Agencies
