Prosecutors have sought a one-year prison sentence for the head of a Michelin two-star restaurant who was put on trial for using ants not approved for consumption in his dishes.
On the 20th, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office asked the court to sentence the restaurant head, identified as A, to one year in prison at a hearing on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Se-chang of the Seoul Western District Court's Criminal Division 8.
Prosecutors also sought a fine of 20 million won for the corporation that operates the restaurant, which was indicted alongside A.
A and the corporation are accused of importing dried ants from the United States and Thailand starting in 2021 and serving them atop some of the restaurant's dishes for about four years.
Under the current Food Sanitation Act, ants are not among the 10 insect species approved for consumption and cannot be used as a food ingredient.
Prosecutors determined that the restaurant sold sherbet and other items made with ants about 12,200 times, generating revenue of about 120 million won. They also concluded that about 49,000 ants were used in the food.
A's side, meanwhile, acknowledged most of the charges but disputed the number of ants calculated by prosecutors, saying it differed from the facts.
A's defense attorney argued, "We did not serve ants to customers who declined them," adding, "About 60% of customers accepted them, but prosecutors calculated based on the premise that all customers did."
The attorney also said, "The menu items topped with ants are a very small part of the 15-course meal," adding, "Restaurants in several countries, including Denmark, the United Kingdom and Australia, use ants as a food ingredient."
The verdict for A and the corporation will be handed down on September 2.
