Tourist bitten by poisonous octopus

A blue-ringed octopus / Yonhap

By Jhoo Dong-chan

A poisonous sub-tropical blue-ringed octopus bit a man for the first time in Korea.

According to the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), Monday, a 38-year-old tourist, surnamed Kim, was bitten by a blue-ringed octopus in a beach on Jeju Island on June 19.

Kim was on a vacation on the island.

Kim reportedly said that the blue-ringed octopus bit his middle finger while he tried to show it to his child.

Experiencing paralysis and pain, Kim immediately called 119 and received emergency treatment.

As pain and nausea continued even after the vacation, Kim reported to the NFRDI.

Kim then received a venom-neutralization treatment from a toxic specialist at a local hospital and is reportedly getting better.

Blue-ringed octopuses are comparably small-sized with around 10 centimeters long and a species that live in rock pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Japan to Australia.

Even a small amount of their skin surface venom could cause paralysis, nausea and difficulty in breathing.

A blue-ringed octopus was first reported in Korea in Jeju’s northeast sea area in 2012.

The NFRDI has made posters of the octopus to raise public awareness and will distribute them at beaches on the island.