Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korea investigated for serving dish topped with ants
The fine dining restaurant in Seoul's Gangnam district is reportedly popular for its creative interpretations of Korean cuisine, with a sorbet dish topped with ants sold as a signature meal, according to The Korea Times.
South Korea does recognise some insects, including locusts, grasshoppers and mealworms, as edible, and boiled or steamed silkworm pupae are sold as a popular street food item known as beondegi, but ants are not classified as an edible ingredient.
A violation of the Food Sanitation Act is punishable by a fine of up to 50m won (£26,867) or a prison term of up to five years.
The food and drug safety ministry said on Thursday it had referred the restaurant's owner to prosecutors for using imported dried ants in a food item.
'To use ants as food, businesses must obtain temporary approval for standards and specifications under food safety regulations,' a ministry official pointed out. 'We have shared the results of this investigation with the relevant local government and requested administrative action.'
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, the ministry began investigating the unnamed restaurant after seeing blogs and social media posts with the dish in question.
The restaurant allegedly imported two types of ants from the US and Thailand using an express mail service between April 2021 and November 2024, local media reported. It sold around 12,000 dishes until December 2024, bringing in about 120 million won (£64,484).
The dish is quite popular with customers, South Korean media reported, with many calling it 'an upgraded experience'.
The restaurant's owner said they were unaware that ants weren't legally recognised as a food ingredient, according to The Korea Times.
Insects are considered a nutritious and sustainable food source in several parts of the world. In Thailand, fried crickets, ant eggs, grasshoppers, termites and silkworm pupae are popular street food items while Mexico sees grasshoppers, known as chapulines, and ant larvae, called escamoles, served in tacos and sauces.
Last year, the South Korean food ministry had to warn people against eat fried toothpicks made from starch in a shape resembling curly fries after it turned into a viral trend.
'Their safety as food has not been verified,' the ministry said in a post on X. 'Please do not eat.'
The toothpicks, commonly used in Korean restaurants to pick up finger foods, are made of sweet potato or corn starch. People on social media started to add the toothpicks to hot oil and add various seasonings including cheese.
However, local media reported they might include an ingredient called sorbitol and consuming too much could lead to vomiting and diarrhoea.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Review Geek
17 hours ago
- The Review Geek
S Line – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap, Review & Ending Explained
S Line S Line Episode 6 brings us to a café where a woman receives an intimate video. When she attends her university class, it's obvious that she's today's hot topic. At home under her duvet, she cries, continuing to receive threatening texts. That evening, she attempts to walk into traffic, but Kyu Jin stops her. Before leaving, Kyu Jin innocently presents her the glasses. Zip to Hyun Heup, who waits at the bus stop for Jun Seon. She asks him for a favor that lands them in a hotel room. Afterwards, she sees the S Line connected between them. Walking toward the bus, he suddenly runs off to get them some snacks. While she waits, Hyun Heup notices her new S Line disappear and turns towards an uproar in the area. It's Jun Seon with what looks like metal rods sticking out of his back. Thinking of herself as cursed, she sees another person who is close to her die. Next, Hyun Heup checks a video message of her school friend tied up, along with a Happy 17th message and an invitation to the 'room of boundaries.' She calls Detective Han for help. READ MORE: K-drama reviews In the car together, Han is still thinking about Seon-a's horrible S Line. Hyun Heup disrupts him to explain that someone has been counting down to her 17th birthday and that something is required of her. She shows him the texts. Han starts putting the pieces together – how she was lured to the school, how he acquired the glasses, etc. Could it be the same person? Han notes that her teacher, Kyu Jin, doesn't exist. Together, they race into the school building toward the lit classroom. Hyun Heup finds her friend, who says she came to meet Hyun Heup. The girls race out to find Han, but every time they take the stairs, they return to the same floor again. Han heads up to the roof and hearing a door, the girls do too. But they're not in the same place. Han approaches a group of people, one remarking how lucky she was to have met her. She remembers their conversation where Kyu Jin asked if she still wanted to die or would rather kill. The woman testifies that with the glasses, she found a new purpose in life, getting rid of a line every time she kills someone else. She uncovers a man, raising her knife, ready to sever her last sin and be reborn. On Han's roof, he sees Kyu Jin approach with millions of red lines from her head. When she spots him, she uncovers Han's father, who's tied and covered in blood. Handing Han a blade, she wonders whether he wants to save Seon-a. Han turns the knife on her, but she easily takes it from him, stabbing Han's father instead. When he shoots at her, the bullets deflect as she continues to walk toward him, grabbing him by the neck. On their own roof, Hyun Heup tries to explain what's happening, but then see that Gyeong Jin is wearing the glasses. Gyeong Jin tries to strangle Hyun Heup, but when they tussle, Hyun Heup smashes the glasses and Gyeong Jin returns to her senses. She notices that Hyun Heup's eye color has changed. Drops of blood distract Hyun Heup and she finds herself among the crowd surrounding Kyu Jin, who tells her that her ability to see S Lines from birth is a blessing. The crowd removes their glasses, surrounding Hyun Heup. Kyu Jin raises a long sword, ready to slash. But Hyun Heup's mother steps in front, protecting her daughter and falling to the ground instead. Her mother admits that she had the glasses too, that it wasn't Hyun Heup's fault. Getting up from her mother, Hyun Heup runs at Kyu Jin, straight into her sword, but Hyun Heup's blood floats away in droplets. Soon she rises too, lines bursting out of her and pulling her toward a ball of red. After a few moments, she's gently lowered to the ground as the ball comes for them. As Kyu Jin watches, Hyun Heup stabs her. But she says it's too late – they've already done what they came to do. The crowd begins to scream and run as all the glasses are lost, including Han's. And suddenly Han, Hyun Heup and Gyeong Jin are on the roof together. He reaches for his glasses, but they fall. While in the streets, people stare at the red night sky. And everyone can see everyone's red lines. On a new day on the subway, everyone wears glasses and Hyun Heup talks of finally being normal. Seon-a awoke from her coma and was reborn without an S Line. And as for the rest, Hyun Heup is alone again. She visits Jun Seon's grave and hears someone calling her name – it's Kyu Jin. Ending Explained Who is Kyu Jin? Someone working toward a 'rebirth' where every person can see S Lines. It's got the trappings of a cult with some supernatural thrown in. How is Hyun Heup involved? Kyu Jin believes Hyun Heup's blood will trigger the rebirth, giving everyone the ability to see S Lines and some people the ability to cleanse their S Lines. How does Seon-a wake from her coma? Possibly as a result of the rebirth. She's reborn without her non-consensual S Line and seems a lot happier. What happens to Han's father? Although Han tries to save him, Kyu Jin kills him with a stab to the throat. What happens to Hyun Heup's friends? Jun Seon dies in what looks like an accident, but was probably helped along by Kyu Jin in an effort to get to Hyun Heup. Meanwhile, Gyeong Jin survives, but we don't see what happens to her – just that Hyun Heup is alone again at the end. What happens to Detective Han? It looks like he goes back to being himself after all the drama. He does seem to be more protective of his niece and they also have a better relationship. The Episode Review Well, that was unexpected. While I've loved the creativity and incessantness of this drama, I was a little disappointed with this final episode. Yes, this is based on a webtoon and the supernatural is part of the narrative, yet I felt like they were getting to a real revelation then gave up and went paranormal to quickly wrap things up. There's a fantastic story of competitiveness, greed, revenge and superiority complex here. Up until episode 6, I was absolutely loving it. Even the cult was interesting, with people sucked into the possibility of rebirth and renewed purity. I would have been more interested in a human using the S Lines for selfish purposes – turning people's greed on themselves. Even with this ending, many of our favorites survived. Now that everyone can see S Lines, do you think it changes anyone's behavior? Or how they judge others? Anybody love the finale of S Line? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Previous Episode Full Season Review READ MORE: K-drama reviews
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Video showing migrant worker moved by forklift prompts action from South Korea's president
South Korea's president ordered officials to find ways to prevent abuses of migrant workers after a video showing a Sri Lankan worker being moved by a forklift while tied up at a South Korean factory sparked public outrage. 'After watching the video, I couldn't believe my eyes,' President Lee Jae Myung wrote Thursday in a Facebook post. 'That was an intolerable violation and clear human rights abuses of a minority person.' In a Cabinet Council meeting later, Lee again condemned the abuse and raised concerns about South Korea's international image. He ordered government ministries to determine the status of human rights violations facing migrant workers and other minorities in South Korea and find realistic steps to prevent such abuses. South Korean human rights activists on Wednesday released the video filmed at a brick factory in the southwestern city of Naju in late February. They said it was filmed and provided by a fellow Sri Lankan worker. The video shows a forklift driver, who has been identified as a South Korean, lifting another worker who is bound with plastic wraps and tied to bricks. The driver moves him around the factory yard in the vehicle while the sound of laughter from another person can be heard. The 31-year-old victim, who came to South Korea in November, suffered the abuse for about five minutes as a punishment imposed by the South Korean forklift driver who wasn't happy with his brick wrapping skills, according to Mun Gil Ju, one of the local activists involved in the video's release. Naju city officials said the head of the factory told them he had been informed the event was organized as a prank. But Mun said 'bounding a person with plastic wraps" cannot be dismissed as a prank. The company has about 24 workers, including seven from East Timor and Sri Lanka along with South Koreans. The Sri Lankan victim still works for the factory, according to Naju officials. The Labor Ministry said in a statement Thursday it will launch an investigation of the factory and inspect whether foreign workers there have experienced beating, bullying and overdue wages. Hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly from Southeast Asia and China, take low-paying or dangerous work at factories, farms and other sites where activists say many experience discrimination and abuses.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Barca cancel friendly over 'contractual breaches'
Barcelona have cancelled Sunday's pre-season friendly against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo because of "serious contractual breaches" by the trip to Japan formed the initial part of their Asian tour, and they said the second leg in South Korea is also at risk of have not identified the promoter but named Yasuda Group when first announcing the tour."Barcelona announces that it has been obliged to suspend its participation in the game scheduled for next Sunday in Japan due to serious contractual breaches on behalf of the promoter," Barcelona said. "Nevertheless, the club will consider readjusting the leg of the summer tour in South Korea if certain conditions are met by the promoter."If these conditions are met, then the club will travel to South Korea in the coming days."Barcelona regrets this incident and the impact it will have on the many, many Barca fans in Japan."BBC Sport has contacted Yasuda Group for comment.J1 League champions Vissel Kobe said: "We sincerely apologise for any concern this may cause to the many fans and related parties who were looking forward to this match."Our club is working in collaboration with relevant parties to gather necessary information and take appropriate measures."Barcelona, who won their 28th La Liga title last season, are scheduled to play South Korean sides FC Seoul and Daegu on 31 July and 4 August respectively.D-Drive, which is promoting the games in South Korea, said it is doing its "utmost to deliver unforgettable matches".
