Viral 'drug zombie' video shocks Korea
A man appearing to be under the influence of drugs staggers with a hunched back and dangling arms in front of a bus stop in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, is seen in a video dubbed the "Suwon drug zombie" that recently spread on social media. Captured from social media
A man in his 30s who appeared in a viral video dubbed the "Suwon drug zombie" has been arrested by police on suspicion of drug use.
The Suwon Seobu Police Station said Tuesday that it had urgently detained the man, identified only as A, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act.
A is accused of being under the influence of methamphetamine while wandering around near a bus stop in an apartment complex in Suwon's Gwonseon District at around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
A witness at the scene filmed A staggering with both arms hanging loosely at his sides and uploaded the footage to social media. In the post, the witness wrote, "This is a bus stop in an apartment complex near our local market," adding, "I never thought I would see something like this in person."
The video quickly spread online, prompting reactions from internet users. Some said, "It looks exactly like scenes from American documentaries," while others wrote, "The same thing happened in Korea, right in front of an ordinary apartment complex," and "Isn't that the posture of someone addicted to fentanyl?"
Police became aware of the incident at around 7 a.m. Tuesday, two days after the video was uploaded, and launched an investigation. While reviewing closed-circuit television footage from around the bus stop, officers spotted A nearby and determined that his appearance matched the man in the viral video.
A preliminary drug test returned positive for methamphetamine, police said. He was arrested at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Before the arrest, many online users had speculated that A may have taken fentanyl based on his unsteady movements. However, police said they have not yet found evidence linking him to the possession or use of fentanyl.
Police said they plan to consider seeking an arrest warrant after completing their investigation.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.