'This tiramisu isn't like what I ate in the U.S.': American fined for threatening bakery manager over dessert in Gimhae
Published: 15 Aug. 2025, 17:06
![A tiramisu cake. The image is unrelated to the story. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/15/7837bb75-3fa1-4802-83c8-6710570480e6.jpg)
A tiramisu cake. The image is unrelated to the story. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]
A U.S. national in his 60s has been fined for threatening a bakery manager with a weapon because the dessert he ordered “didn’t taste good.”
The Changwon District Court on Friday sentenced the man to a fine of 2 million won ($1,400) for special intimidation, which is applied when the crime happens by force or while carrying a weapon, resulting in a heavier sentence than regular intimidation.
The man was indicted for pulling a weapon from his pocket and threatening the manager in their 30s at a bakery in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, in May last year after complaining that the tiramisu he ordered was not to his liking.
Summoning the manager, the man reportedly said that the tiramisu was different from what he used to have in the United States and that he would cut off his finger if what he ate was considered tiramisu.
The man was a longtime resident of Korea at the time of the incident.
Prosecutors initially sought a summary order imposing a 2 million won fine, but the man requested a formal trial.
“The circumstances surrounding the case have not changed before or after the summary order,” the judge said, adding that the fine was not deemed excessive given the details, motive, means and outcome of the offense.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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