# Seoul Michelin restaurant food safety violation

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/seoul-michelin-restaurant-food-safety-violation
> Updated: 2026-09-19T11:41:41.000Z. Sources: 14. Developments: 2.

A Seoul court has fined the management of Evett, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant, for violating food safety laws by serving desserts topped with ants. Between April 2021 and early 2025, the establishment used approximately 49,000 dried ants imported from the United States and Thailand as a topping for a rice-inspired dessert served to over 12,000 guests.

While South Korea permits the consumption of ten specific insect species, ants are not among the approved species for human food use. Prosecutors noted that the ants used contained heavy metal levels exceeding legal limits. 

The Seoul Western District Court ordered the restaurant’s chief executive, Ginny Kim, to pay 15 million won and the operating company to pay 10 million won. The judge opted for fines rather than the prison sentence sought by prosecutors, citing the defendant’s admission of guilt and lack of a prior criminal record.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-19: Seoul Michelin restaurant fined for serving ants

A two-star Michelin restaurant in Seoul, Evett, has been fined for serving unapproved ants in desserts, which contained heavy metals exceeding safety limits.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/seoul-michelin-restaurant-fined-for-serving-ants

### 2026-09-16: Evett restaurant in Seoul fined for serving ant-topped desserts

A two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul, Evett, has been fined for serving unapproved ant toppings in desserts, which were found to contain heavy metals exceeding legal limits.

11 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/evett-michelin-starred-restaurant-fined-for-serving-ants-in-seoul

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Cite as: Seoul Michelin restaurant food safety violation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/seoul-michelin-restaurant-food-safety-violation