A South Korean court has fined the operator of one of Seoul’s most celebrated restaurants and its chief executive for serving a dessert topped with ants, an insect not approved for consumption under local food safety law.

The operator of Evett, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in the affluent Gangnam district, was fined 10m won (£5,400) and its chief executive 15m won, Newsis reported. Prosecutors had sought a one-year prison term for the chief executive and a 20m won fine for the company.

The judge at Seoul’s western district court, Lee Se-chang, said the offence was “by no means light”, citing the length of time the dishes had been sold for, the restaurant’s use of them to promote itself and tests that found heavy metals above permitted levels in the ants. He said he had taken into account that the defendants admitted the offence, that the chief executive had no previous criminal record under the food safety law, that the number of ants served appeared lower than prosecutors had calculated and that the restaurant no longer used ants.

Evett was founded by the Australian chef Joseph Lidgerwood, who has appeared on the Netflix cooking competition Culinary Class Wars and is the restaurant’s public face. He was not a defendant and was not charged. Under South Korean food safety law, the legal duties fall on the person registered as operating the business. Ginny Kim, Lidgerwood’s wife, is registered as the company’s chief executive and was named as a defendant, alongside the company that operates the restaurant.

Only 10 insect species are approved as food ingredients in South Korea, including grasshoppers, mealworms and silkworm pupae. Businesses wishing to use an unapproved insect must obtain temporary approval from the ministry of food and drug safety, a step the restaurant did not take. Violating the law carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison or a 50m won fine.

Hong Kong’s National security police chief Andrew Kan told Police College graduates that “national security challenges have become more invisible,” cautioning them to stay on guard against “external forces,” “soft resistance,” and “ideological infiltration.”

The term “soft resistance” was first mentioned in 2021 in a speech by Luo Huining, then-director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong. Since then, Hong Kong officials have cited “soft resistance” as a threat to national security, although they have not provided a clear definition of the term.

Speaking to the press after the ceremony of a passing-out parade for 17 probationary officers and 110 recruit constables at the Police College on Saturday, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow also warned of hidden risks despite the calm environment. The police chief said “a small number of people are still eager to incite others’ hatred,” citing the arrests of three people who chanted slogans outside Prince Edward MTR station on August 31.

The sentencing of the Tiananmen activists has drawn criticism from overseas human rights groups, who have expressed concerns about what they call a setback to the city’s freedom of expression, even when The government hit back on Saturday, calling the comments “attacks, smears and slanders.”

Elaine Pearson, the Asia director of NGO Human Rights Watch, said the three were punished for “ordinary democratic activities,” while Amnesty International said the sentencing “denies generations of Hongkongers the space to discuss one of the most consequential events in modern Chinese history.”

Amidst the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East and the severe disruptions to the global energy supply chain, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen will personally lead a delegation on an emergency diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia next week, aiming to secure and lock in a long-term stable supply of liquid fuels and crude oil for Australia.

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) flagship political talk show “7.30” on Monday evening, Bowen revealed that thanks to the government’s “minimum inventory obligation” policy implemented in recent years, Australia currently has approximately 41 days’ worth of domestic and en route petrol reserves. While this figure is higher than the historical average of recent years and sufficient to meet short-term domestic consumption demand, Bowen emphasized that the risks in the global energy market have not been eliminated.

He expressed “extreme concern” about the current squeezed crude oil supply in the Middle East, citing the military conflict in Iran and surrounding geopolitical tensions as disrupting shipping in key waterways such as the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, leading to sharp fluctuations in international oil prices and strain on the refining supply chain.

Despite the Australian government’s call for public rationality, the rise in international crude oil prices has already impacted Australian retail petrol stations. Bowen concluded by emphasizing that the global situation remains highly volatile, and that “obtaining the most accurate intelligence and engaging in proactive diplomatic maneuvering are key to ensuring Australia’s fuel security and economic stability in the coming months.”