South African police have caught a series of South Koreans trying to collect scorpions without a permit and take them out of the country. A man in his 20s who tried to board a flight with 150 scorpions hidden in his suitcase was sentenced to five years in prison.
A 28-year-old South Korean man identified as A was arrested at Cape Town International Airport in southwestern South Africa on June 12 while attempting to leave the country with 150 live scorpions, according to the South Korean Embassy in South Africa, local police and local media on the 25th.
The man had wrapped the scorpions in plastic and hidden them among clothes inside his suitcase in an attempt to carry them on board, according to the accounts. Local police arrested him after confirming that he had tried to board the aircraft with the scorpions in his possession.
He was sent to trial on charges of violating environmental and aviation laws. At the first trial on the 16th of this month, the court sentenced him to five years in prison.
During the trial, the man claimed he had bought the scorpions locally. But the court found it reasonable to conclude that he had actively taken part in collecting and packaging the scorpions himself, citing the fact that he was also carrying collection equipment.
The court also determined that he had damaged the natural environment by collecting the scorpions and had endangered aviation safety by bringing venomous scorpions into the airport.
The case is not the only one involving South Koreans and scorpions. On the same day, South African police arrested another South Korean man in his 30s, identified as B, near his accommodation in a tourist city about 300 kilometers from Cape Town on suspicion of possessing a large number of scorpions.
Local investigators are continuing their inquiry, seeing the possibility that the illegal collection and export of scorpions was carried out in an organized manner.
A South Korean was also punished in South Africa in January 2024 for illegally collecting scorpions. A South Korean surnamed Kim was indicted on charges of catching more than 10 scorpions in Paarl, a well-known wine-producing town about 60 kilometers east of Cape Town. The court sentenced Kim to a fine of 380,000 rand (about 31.6 million won) or two years in prison.
The South Korean Embassy in South Africa issued a safety notice the same day, urging travelers not to collect or take wildlife out of the country without authorization.
"Cases have recently occurred in South Africa in which our nationals were arrested by local police while illegally collecting wildlife such as scorpions without a permit and are facing criminal trials," the embassy said.
The embassy stressed that South African authorities strictly prohibit the unauthorized collection, possession, transport and export of wildlife and plants including scorpions, spiders, cacti, abalone and wild grasses in order to protect the natural environment and ecosystem, and that violators can face criminal punishment.
