"Stop it!"... A man in his 30s suspiciously inhales gas despite police warnings

Man Inhaling Nitrous Oxide in Car Apartment
"It's Medical Use"... Absurd Claim Too

A man in his 30s who was inhaling a hallucinogenic substance inside a car despite police orders to stop was arrested in the act.

On the 14th, the Namyangju Southern Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced that they had sent Mr. A, a man in his 30s, to prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Chemical Substances Control Act.

Mr. A is suspected of inhaling nitrous oxide gas by connecting an injector to a gas cylinder inside a car parked in front of an apartment complex in Hwado-eup, Namyangju-si, at around 7:30 p.m. on October 31.

A man in his 30s is inhaling gas despite police intervention. [Image source=Official YouTube account of the National Police Agency]

According to the video footage of the incident, the police responded to a report stating "a man inside a parked car is showing symptoms of respiratory distress" and found Mr. A inside the vehicle. When the police opened the car door, Mr. A was inhaling gas inside his vehicle. Despite police orders saying, "Didn't I tell you to stop inhaling?" Mr. A continued to inhale.

Eventually, the police forcibly pulled Mr. A out of the car. When asked, "Why were you continuously inhaling gas by connecting the cylinder to the hose?" Mr. A replied, "I'm sorry."

Upon inspecting the gas cylinder, the police confirmed that the gas Mr. A was inhaling was nitrous oxide, which causes hallucinations. Nitrous oxide is used for medical and food additive purposes, but when inhaled, it temporarily causes hallucinations such as feeling like floating in the air. Since July 2017, it has been designated as a hallucinogenic substance in South Korea. In particular, nitrous oxide, known as the main ingredient of "Happy Balloon" (a drug balloon), can lead to coma or death if abused or misused.

Mr. A told the police that he was inhaling it for medical purposes because of leg discomfort, but his legs were actually in normal condition. After confirming that it was not for medical purposes, the police arrested Mr. A on the spot. It was reported that Mr. A showed no significant health issues after inhaling nitrous oxide.

Meanwhile, under the Chemical Substances Control Act, anyone who consumes, inhales, or possesses hallucinogenic substances for such purposes can face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 50 million won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.