SEOUL – Police moved to quell rumours about a narcotic substance in Korea that turns people into zombie-like monsters, following a feature titled Curious Stories Y which was broadcast by national TV station SBS on Friday (Nov 10).
Reports speculated that the rumoured “zombie drug” was a type of so-called “bath salts” – recreational designer drugs that come in powder form.
In Korea, those in possession of such drugs are liable to a minimum of one year in prison, while those who import, manufacture or sell the drug face a minimum of five years’ imprisonment.
The Nov 10 episode of Curious Stories Y relays the account of a family in Seoul, who were disturbed in the wee hours of Oct 10 by the sound of a window breaking.
The unsuspecting husband brushes off the noise, thinking it came from a neighbouring house. But as he gets up to use the washroom, he comes face to face with a stranger standing in the middle of the living room with a hair-raising glare in his eyes and bleeding from his head.
The stranger then attacks him, biting off a chunk of flesh with unexplainable ferocity.
In the police investigation that followed, the man was identified as a Vietnamese tourist, who said he heard a voice in his head telling him that his sins would be forgiven if he entered the house.
The man appeared to have been hallucinating.
The Gangbuk police station said on Sunday that there were no grounds to suggest that the Vietnamese man had consumed a “zombie drug,” and that they suspect that he suffers from mental illness.
