"Suwon Today": Man Seen Slumped in Street Arrested for Drug Use

A man in his 30s, featured in a video that recently went viral on social media as the so-called "Suwon drug incident," has been apprehended by police.

The Suwon Seobu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced that it emergency-arrested the suspect, identified as A, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act today (June 23).

A is accused of wandering near a bus stop at an apartment complex in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, while under the influence of methamphetamine at approximately 12:30 p.m. on June 21.

At the time, a witness filmed A standing still for a long period with a hunched back and his arms hanging limply, and posted the video on social media.

The video, which drew comparisons to the "fentanyl zombie" streets seen in the United States and other countries, shocked the public and spread rapidly under titles such as "Suwon Fentanyl Today."

The witness who posted the video expressed the fear of the scene, stating, "It gives me goosebumps to think that something like this is happening in my neighborhood and that it could happen to anyone." The incident also heightened public anxiety among netizens that drug crimes in the heart of the city have reached a dangerous level.


Although no reports were filed with investigative authorities at the time, police became aware of the incident and began an on-site investigation at approximately 7:00 a.m. today, the day after the video was posted.

While securing nearby CCTV footage, police discovered A, whose appearance matched that of the man in the video, near the scene of the incident.

Police subsequently conducted a preliminary drug test on A, which returned a positive result for methamphetamine, leading to his emergency arrest at 10:30 a.m.

A was not in possession of any narcotics at the time of his arrest.

A police official stated, "As we have not yet questioned the suspect, we have not been able to determine when, where, or how he used the drugs," adding, "While there is concern in some quarters about fentanyl, it has not been confirmed in this case."

The police plan to review whether to request an arrest warrant for A once the investigation is complete.

(Photo: Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Internet community capture, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.