A Seoul restaurant owner with two Michelin stars faces a one-year…
A Seoul restaurant owner with two Michelin stars faces a one-year prison sentence for using prohibited ants in dishes, violating South Korea's food hygiene laws. The case involves the use of dried ants imported from the U.S. and Thailand over four years, with allegations of health risks due to high heavy metal concentrations.
Consensus
- The restaurant owner and chef are facing legal charges for using ants in food at a Seoul restaurant with two Michelin stars.
- Ants are not among the ten permitted insect species for consumption under South Korean law.
- The prosecution requested one year of imprisonment for the defendant and a fine of 20 million won (approximately $13,000–$13,500) for the restaurant's management company.
- The court will issue its verdict on September 2.
- Ants were used in dishes over a period of about four years.
- Approximately 40% of customers declined to eat the ant-containing desserts after being informed.
Points of divergence
- The prosecution requested one year imprisonment for both the chef and restaurant owner, and claimed that sorbet with ants was served over 12,200 times, generating revenue of 120 million won. — kommersant
- The Chosun Daily reported that the owner participated in the Netflix show Culinary Class Wars; this detail is not mentioned in Kommersant. — meduza
- The defense argued that ant counts by prosecutors were disputed, and emphasized that ants are used in high cuisine in Denmark, the UK, and Australia. — kommersant
- Meduza reported that heavy metal concentration in the ants was 55 times higher than in regular edible insects; this detail is not mentioned in Kommersant. — meduza
Coverage (2 sources)
- Michelin-star restaurant owner in Seoul faces prison term over ants in food — Коммерсантъ
- Owner of two-Michelin-star South Korean restaurant demanded to be jailed for using ants in desserts — Meduza