The Aporia · Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for using ants as garnish

A Seoul restaurant, Evett, which holds two Michelin stars, has been fined for using unauthorized insects, specifically ants, in its dishes. The owner was penalized 15 million won (£8,144; $10,965) and the operating company received a 10 million won fine for violating South Korea's Food Sanitation Act. This practice continued over nearly four years with approximately 49,000 ants used as garnish on desserts until it was discovered by food safety authorities through online reviews featuring photos of dishes.

Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

A two Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul named Evett has been fined for using ants as a dessert garnish, violating South Korea's Food Sanitation Act. The owner was fined 15 million won (£8,144; $10,965), and the operating company received a fine of 10 million won. Ants are not among the 10 insect species approved for human consumption in South Korea, which includes grasshoppers, locusts, and some silkworms. The judge noted that heavy metals exceeding standards were found in the ants during testing, indicating significant culpability despite the owner's claim of ignorance regarding the prohibition. Prosecutors had initially sought a one-year prison term along with a 20 million won fine but the judge considered the admission of guilt and lack of prior criminal record when deciding on the penalty.

Written for “Restaurant Fine For Using Ants” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Restaurant Fine For Using Ants

Health · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Malu Cursino

3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of a Parisian suburb and member of the radical left La France Insoumise (LFI) party defended earlier remarks in which he said violence could be legitimate in some cases - referencing cases in which protesters had allegedly been shot at while not wearing helmets or bulletproof vests.

2026-10-01 · assertive framing · Fires break out at French schools as students protest nationwide

🔮 The owner had argued that they were used in a "small part" of the restaurant's 15-course menu and that diners were told they could opt for a non-ant alternative topping.

2026-09-16 · assertive framing · Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for using ants as garnish

🔮 "Sometimes you will see things you cannot access via land."

2026-08-05 · assertive framing · How to avoid the worst of the Italian heat

Also by Malu Cursino

Fires break out at French schools as students protest nationwide

2026-10-01 · BBC News

How to avoid the worst of the Italian heat

2026-08-05 · BBC News

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

However, the judge is reported as saying that, as well as violating food standards, the presence of heavy metals exceeding standards was detected in the ants when they were tested, meaning the "culpability is not light".

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17

🔮 The owner had argued that they were used in a "small part" of the restaurant's 15-course menu and that diners were told they could opt for a non-ant alternative topping.

2026-09-17 · BBC News

Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for using ants as garnish · assertive framing

- Published A two Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul has been fined for using ants as a dessert garnish. asserted

restaurant → publish → garnish

The owner of Evett in the South Korean capital was fined 15 million won (£8,144; $10,965), while the company operating the restaurant was fined 10 million won for violating the Food Sanitation Act, local media report. asserted

media → fin → Act

Ants are not among the 10 insect species approved for human consumption in the east Asian nation. asserted

Ants → approve → nation

The approved list includes grasshoppers, locusts and some silkworms. asserted

list → approve → grasshoppers

Prosecutors had sought a one-year prison term for the restaurant's owner, as well as a 20 million won fine - but the judge took the owner admitting the charge and having no prior criminal record into account. asserted

owner → seek → account

culpability → report → ants

The owner was said to have been unaware that providing ants in food was prohibited in South Korea, as they are used as food elsewhere. asserted

they → say → food

Their use as a topping for sorbets at Evett came to light after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety found online reviews accompanied by photographs. asserted

Ministry → come → photographs

It said the owner had sprinkled three to five ants on certain dishes to give them a "sour taste", over a period of nearly four years - amounting to approximately 49,000 ants used as a garnish. asserted

owner → say → garnish

Most of the ants were imported from the US, while some came from Thailand, the ministry said. asserted

ministry → import → Thailand

The owner had argued that they were used in a "small part" of the restaurant's 15-course menu and that diners were told they could opt for a non-ant alternative topping. uncertain

they → argue → topping

Ants are eaten and sometimes even valued as a delicacy in several Asian, African and Latin American cultures. asserted

Ants → eat → cultures

Weaver ants and their eggs are used in Thai and Cambodian cooking, while in Colombia, queen ants are as prized as caviar. asserted

ants → use → caviar

The Michelin Guide considers a two-star establishment as one that does "excellent cooking" and is "worth a detour". asserted

that → consider → detour

Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for using ants as garnish

Quick Summary

AI analysis

Story

Compared with similar articles

Signals How these are calculated →

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Publisher

Who wrote this

Topics

Subjects

Narrative

Claims (14 extracted, 1 hedged)