Cadmium octopus actually from China

Deceptive seller arrested

By Kwon Mee-yoo

A small octopus, called “nakji” in Korean, is sparking continuous trouble for Seoul City.

Seoul City regulations have warned that the ink and intestines in the bodies of small octopi are harmful, citing the outcome of research conducted by an affiliate, which showed they contained excessive cadmium.

However, the prosecution said Tuesday one of the three octopus samples as domestic catches was from China.

The prosecution arrested two sellers of octopus who sold Chinese produce labeled as Korean to some major discount stores by submitting fake certificates of origin.

The city had collected nine samples of octopus, one kilogram each, from various retailers including department stores, discount stores and traditional markets.

As most of the octopus being sold was from China, they took six Chinese samples and three local ones. However, one of the samples considered domestic turned out to be Chinese, making seven samples from China.

Chinese octopi contained a higher amount of cadmium than domestic ones, but those caught in Korea also contained traces of the heavy metal above acceptable standards, according to the city government.

Seoul City maintained its position that the organs and ink are not safe, even after the announcement by the prosecution.

“Whether the octopus is from Korea or China, they still have inordinate amounts of cadmium so we advise citizens not to eat the organ and ink of octopuses,” a city official said.

However, the prosecution’s announcement further angered fishermen who have been suffering from a steep drop in sales over the safety controversy.

Yang Tae-seung, a representative of fishermen in the southwestern coastal city of Shinan, said, “With Seoul City’s hasty announcement, people are avoiding eating octopi. Even so, it is not apologizing for our losses.”

To appease the angry fishermen, the city is trying to promote consumption of octopi bodies except for the ink and organs. The city government designated Wednesday as "Octopus Day" and will serve 2,700 octopi, without organs and ink, at its cafeteria.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) has denounced the city administration’s allegations that heavy metals such as cadmium were detected. The KFDA said, “The research process Seoul City adopted was poor, and could easily result in misleading information.”

‘카드뮴 낙지’는 중국산

낙지가 계속 서울시를 괴롭히고 있다.

서울시 규정은 낙지의 먹물과 내장은 몸에 해로운 것으로 돼 있다. 이는 과도한 카드뮴을 함유하고 있다는 시 산하 연구소의 연구 결과에 기반을 두고 하는 것이다.

그러나 검찰은 화요일 낙지 3마리 중 한 마리가 국내산이 아닌 중국산이라고 밝혔다.

그래서 검찰은 2명의 상인이 중국산을 국내산으로 속여 주요 디스카운트 스토어에 가짜 원산지 증명서를 해주고 팔았다고 밝혔다.

시는 한 마리당 1kg인 낙지 아홉 마리를 샘플로 백화점, 디스카운트 스토어 그리고 재래시장 들 각종 소매점에서 수거했다.