'Suwon Zombie' Tests Positive Again After Two Months... Caught by Hair

[Anchor]

Two months ago, a video of a man standing and swaying as if high on drugs in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, spread widely and caused quite a stir. The man was urgently arrested but released after testing negative for drugs. Now, he has been caught out by his hair.

Reporter An Huijae has the details.

[Reporter]

A man lets his arms hang down and sways, then stands frozen with his body leaning to one side.

This is the so-called "Suwon Zombie" video that spread via social media last June.

It closely resembled severe American patients addicted to fentanyl, a highly addictive synthetic opioid, and sparked major controversy because it took place near a downtown apartment complex and an elementary school.

[Nearby Resident (Last June): It is a place where many students come and go, and right in front of a bus stop, so the mere presence of such a person here is terrifying.]

The man, identified as A, was urgently arrested by police following a tracking operation, but was released just a day later.

Although he tested positive in a preliminary rapid drug screening, he was released because the National Forensic Service's preliminary urine test concluded that he was negative for methamphetamine. However, two months later, the case involving Mr. A has surfaced again.

This is because drug-positive results were detected in Mr. A's hair, which the police had sent to the National Forensic Service for detailed appraisal as part of supplementary investigations.

Unlike urine tests, where the window to detect drug use is only about a week, hair analysis can trace drug use for up to a year.

Having caught him in the act, the police recently conducted a search and seizure at Mr. A's residence and of his mobile phone, and are known to have secured related physical evidence.

However, police stated that circumstances pointing to fentanyl use have not yet been found, and they are currently investigating psychotropic medications that Mr. A was prescribed in the past.

Mr. A has reportedly denied the allegations consistently throughout previous questioning. The police plan to summon him for questioning again tomorrow (the 20th) before deciding whether to apply for an arrest warrant.

(Video Editing: Jeong Yong-hwa, Design: Hwang Se-yeon, Footage Provided by: Threads)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.