A Korean man has died after choking on a ‘live octopus’ dish, going into cardiac arrest after a tentacle became lodged in his throat.
The Korea Herald reports that the 82-year-old man died while eating the dish, known as sannakji, in the southern city of Gwanju.
Quoting the Gwangju Gwangsan Fire Station, the Herald reported that first responders attempted CPR on the scene but he could not be revived and he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
While sannakji translates as “live octopus”, the dish is created by chopping octopus tentacles into small pieces while the creature is still alive, then plating and eating it quickly with sauces.
Because the animal’s nerves are still live, the tentacles continue to wriggle on the plate and eating it can present a risk to the diner.