--- description: No explosives were found after the MLB’s season opener in South Korea was threatened. title: Shohei Ohtani: Police Dismiss Bomb Threat in Seoul image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltceb51df1b7f5eab6/698a54f5db298719f226b787/shohei-ohtani-seoul.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [South Korea](/tag/south-korea/) ## South Korea Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Police Dismiss Bomb Threat That Targeted Shohei Ohtani in Seoul  by [Chad de Guzman](/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Mar 20, 2024 7:00 AM CUT  Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani during an exhibition game against Team Korea at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 18, 2024. Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani during an exhibition game against Team Korea at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 18, 2024.Masterpress/Getty Images  by [Chad de Guzman](/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Mar 20, 2024 7:00 AM CUT [Shohei Ohtani](https://time.com/6165003/shohei-ohtani-baseball/ "undefined"), the [recently married](https://time.com/6957230/shohei-ohtani-wife-mamiko-tanaka-basketball-player-revealed/ "undefined") and [well remunerated](https://time.com/6344489/shohei-ohtani-700-million-dodgers/ "undefined") Japanese star baseball player of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is beloved by many around the world. But ahead of the MLB’s season opener in Seoul on Wednesday, he was the target of a bomb threat that has since been dismissed by local authorities. South Korean news agency [Yonhap](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/MYH20240320009200641 "undefined") reported that at around 6:08 a.m. local time, about 13 hours before the game’s scheduled start, an employee of the South Korean consulate in Vancouver reported to police that he had received an English-language email threatening to explode a bomb during the game to harm Ohtani. Yonhap reported that the sender claimed to be a Japanese lawyer, adding that police believe the email may have come from a user from Japan who also sent similarly threatening emails last year. However, authorities found the threat to be not credible, the [_Los Angeles Times_](https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2024-03-19/shohei-ohtani-bomb-threat "undefined") reported. And local police found no explosives at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome, the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/ohtani-bomb-threat-seoul-korea-baseball-8597424f185c350a98cf5492adaa6790 "undefined") reported, after they deployed about 150 officers who used sniffer dogs, X-ray detectors, and other tools to detect anything suspicious. “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 to the _Times_, with a spokesperson confirming that the game will go ahead as planned. “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.” Local police said about 350 officers will be deployed when the game starts, according to the AP. The MLB is starting its season for the first time in Seoul, with two games on March 20 and March 21 between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. Tens of thousands offans are expected to attend each night to watch Ohtani and his teammates and opponents play. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6958639/ohtani-bomb-threat-seoul-dodgers-padres/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6958639/ohtani-bomb-threat-seoul-dodgers-padres/"},"headline":"Police Dismiss Bomb Threat That Targeted Shohei Ohtani in Seoul","datePublished":"2024-03-20T07:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T17:19:47.610Z","description":"No explosives were found after the MLB’s season opener in South Korea was threatened.","url":"https://time.com/6958639/ohtani-bomb-threat-seoul-dodgers-padres/","keywords":["South Korea","overnight","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltceb51df1b7f5eab6/698a54f5db298719f226b787/shohei-ohtani-seoul.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltceb51df1b7f5eab6/698a54f5db298719f226b787/shohei-ohtani-seoul.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Shohei Ohtani","caption":"Shohei Ohtani (#17) of the Los Angeles Dodgers is seen during the exhibition game between Team Korea and Los Angeles Dodgers at Gocheok Sky Dome on March 18, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea.","creditText":"Masterpress/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/south-korea/","name":"South Korea"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6958639/ohtani-bomb-threat-seoul-dodgers-padres/","name":"Police Dismiss Bomb Threat That Targeted Shohei Ohtani in Seoul"}}]}] ```