South Korea restaurant owner faces jail for ant sorbet
The owner of a South Korean Michelin-starred restaurant is facing one year in jail for garnishing a palate-cleansing sorbet with black ants “to add a sour taste”, local media said. Seoul prosecutors requested the prison term for the anonymous owner of the...
A South Korean restaurant owner is facing a possible one-year jail term after prosecutors accused the business of serving sorbet garnished with black ants, in a case that has drawn attention to the country’s food safety rules, local media reported.
Seoul prosecutors made the request at a court hearing on Monday, according to reports cited by Dawn Home, saying the unnamed owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant had violated food safety regulations by using insects not approved for human consumption in South Korea. The restaurant is described in the feed as holding two Michelin stars.
Authorities said the ants were imported from Thailand and the United States and were used as a topping on a palate-cleansing sorbet. Under South Korean law, only 10 insect species are approved for human consumption, including grasshoppers and brown mealworm larvae.
The case stems from a food safety ministry investigation launched last year. Officials alleged that the chef placed “three to five” ants on the icy dessert “to add a sour taste,” and said the practice continued for nearly four years, until January 2025. During that period, the restaurant reportedly made around 12,000 sales worth 120 million won, or about $81,000, according to the ministry statement.
A photograph released by the ministry reportedly showed a can labeled “Cuisine Black Ants” in a round tin. Prosecutors also asked the Seoul Western District Court to impose a 20 million won fine, Newsis News Agency reported.
The defendant’s lawyers argued that the ant-topped desserts were served only to customers who had already given consent, according to the same report. In a closing statement quoted by local media, the owner said: “I apologise for this incident, which arose from my failure to fully understand the relevant regulations.”
The court is expected to issue its ruling in early September.
This report is based on a monitored public feed and attributed to Dawn Home. Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017551/south-korea-restaurant-owner-faces-jail-for-ant-sorbet
