Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for using ants as garnish
The owner of the acclaimed establishment avoids jail but is made to pay 15 million won (£8,144; $10,965).
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.
Ants are not among the 10 insect species approved for human consumption in the east Asian nation. The approved list includes grasshoppers, locusts and some silkworms.
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.
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.