Man, 82, dies after choking on live octopus served as a delicacy in South Korea

• The victim was eating a piece of live octopus when it became stuck in his throat
• The 82-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest as he was choking on the delicacy 

An 82-year-old man has died in South Korea after choking on a piece of live octopus, a local delicacy of freshly severed – and still moving – tentacles.

The victim was eating a piece of live octopus, known as san-nakji, in the southern city of Gwangju when it became stuck in his throat on Monday morning.

The pensioner suffered cardiac arrest as he was choking on the octopus and could not be revived by first responders at the scene, the Korea Herald reported. 

Medics had raced to the scene after an emergency call at 11.38am but they were unable to resuscitate the man, who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

San-nakji is a local delicacy in South Korea, especially in the coastal regions, and is served immediately after cutting off the octopus’ tentacles, meaning they are still wriggling on the plate. 

An 82-year-old man has died in South Korea after choking on a piece of live octopus, a local delicacy of freshly severed – and still moving – tentacles (file image of the dish)

But the dish, traditionally served drizzled with sesame oil, poses a significant health risk and people are advised to cut it into smaller piece and chew thoroughly before swallowing. 

Whilst rare, the delicacy can prove fatal – as was the case with the 82-year-old man in Gwangju. 

Between 2007 and 2012, three people died after choking on the live octopus, according to data from Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters. 

Two more people died in 2013 and a man in his 70s died in 2019 after choking on the san-nakji dish, according to local media reports. 

As a result, the delicacy has been described as among the world’s most dangerous foods, alongside the likes of bullfrogs and the poisonous pufferfish. 

But the dish has become popular with thrill-seeking tourists, who have posted videos of themselves eating the live octopus on YouTube. 

And in 2015, during an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s CNN series ‘Parts Unknown,’ the famous chef used his chopsticks to peel a tentacle off his plate as he tried the delicacy. 

The dish also made headlines in 2012, when a South Korean man was sentenced to live imprisonment for allegedly killing his girlfriend and claiming it was a san-nakji accident. 

He was acquitted a year later by the Supreme Court for insufficient evidence, reported local media at the time. 

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