In South Korea, an 82-year-old man suffered a heart attack after choking on a piece of "live octopus," or san-Naji, a local delicacy made of freshly severed - and still wiggling - tentacles.
According to a fire station official, authorities in Gwangju, a city at the country's southern tip, got a report on Monday morning that a piece of san-nakji had become trapped in a man's throat.
According to the official, the man experienced a heart attack when first responders arrived, and they performed CPR.
Did you read this?
The authorities did not specify whether or not the man survived.
San-Naji is a little octopus cut, served raw and popular in South Korean coastal districts and seafood shops.
The dish's name translates to "live octopus," but this is a little deceptive because it is killed before being served, and its tentacles are chopped into parts.
However, it is served immediately after slicing and is so fresh that the tentacles' nerves are still active, making the octopus appear "live" as it moves on the platter.
San-nakji is chewy and commonly served with sesame oil, seeds, and sometimes ginger.
The meal has also made headlines in the past, with local media claiming many incidences of customers dying after choking or asphyxiating on "live octopus."
In possibly the most well-known instance, nicknamed the "octopus murder," a South Korean man was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for allegedly killing his fiancée and saying it was a san-nakji accident — only to be exonerated by the Supreme Court in 2013 due to a lack of evidence.
.jpg)
