Police moved to quell rumors about a narcotic substance in Korea that turns people into zombie-like monsters, following a feature broadcast by SBS’ “Curious Stories Y,” Friday.

Reports speculate that the rumored “zombie drug” is a type of “bath salts” -- recreational designer drugs that come in powder form. In Korea, those in possession of bath salts are liable to a minimum of one year in prison, while those who import, manufacture or sell the drug face a minimum of five years’ imprisonment.

The Nov. 10 episode of “Curious Stories Y” relays the account of a family in Seoul, who were disturbed in the small hours of Oct. 10 by the sound of of their window breaking.

The unsuspecting husband brushed off the noise thinking it came from a neighboring house. But as he got up to use the washroom, he came face to face with a stranger standing in the middle of the living room, bleeding from his head and with a hair-raising glare in his eyes.

The stranger attacked him, biting off a chunk of flesh with unexplainable ferocity. 

In the police investigation that followed, the man was identified as a Vietnamese tourist, who said he heard a commanding voice in his head that his “sins will be forgiven” if he enters the house. The man appears to have been hallucinating.

The Gangbuk Police Station said Sunday that there were no grounds to suggest that the Vietnamese man had consumed a “zombie drug,” and that they suspect that he has a mental illness.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)