'Suwon zombie man' tests positive for drugs after initial negative result reversed

A man in his 30s found slumped on a street in a state that drew comparisons to a zombie has tested positive for illegal drugs following a precision hair analysis by the National Forensic Service.

The Suwon Gwonseon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said Tuesday that a precision hair analysis of the man, identified only as A, returned a positive result for narcotics.

The National Forensic Service conducted the precision hair analysis on A last month. A had previously been arrested on an emergency basis on charges of violating the Act on the Control of Narcotics, then released after an initial test came back negative. Police also searched his residence and forensically examined his mobile phone, securing circumstantial evidence suggesting drug use.

The case came to public attention in June after a video spread widely on social media. The footage showed a man standing motionless near a bus stop outside an apartment complex in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, his back hunched and arms hanging limply at his sides. The video circulated under titles such as "Suwon fentanyl today" and "Suwon drug zombie," spreading rapidly online and prompting users to raise allegations of drug use.

As the controversy grew, police tracked down A — the man in the video — on June 23 and administered a rapid drug test. When the test returned a positive result for methamphetamine, they placed him under emergency arrest. The following day, however, a preliminary National Forensic Service analysis came back negative, and A was released while the investigation continued without detention.

A told police during questioning that he had been standing in that posture simply because he felt weak at the time, denying the drug use allegations. A subsequent precision urine analysis by the National Forensic Service also returned a negative result, but police gathered circumstantial evidence of past drug use through additional investigation.

Positive, then negative, then positive — why the results differed

The conflicting results stem from differences in testing methods. A urine test is generally used to detect relatively recent drug use, while a hair test can trace use going back several months to as long as about a year, depending on hair growth.

Police plan to summon A as a suspect on Thursday for additional questioning before deciding whether to seek an arrest warrant. "Hair analysis can detect drug use from a comparatively distant point in the past, which is why it can produce different results from a rapid test or urine analysis," a police official said. "We are continuing the investigation to establish the exact circumstances of the case."