Noh Hong Chul overcomes fish phobia for first octopus fishing trip

Noh Hong Chul, who suffers from a phobia of fish, shared a unique glimpse into his daily life by challenging himself to his first-ever webfoot octopus fishing trip.

Recently, Noh released a video on his YouTube channel capturing his life in Spain along with his fishing experience near Jebu Island. In the video, after arriving and checking in in Spain, Noh looked up at the moon in the Spanish night sky and turned on the camera to send greetings for Chuseok, one of Korea's biggest traditional holidays. He began by sharing his current status, stating he is very satisfied with his life, saying, "Even though I don't have much going on lately, I've been living quite funly."

"A coward who is afraid of fish": Noh falls for the charm of webfoot octopus

Noh introduced himself as a "coward among cowards" who is usually afraid of fish, revealing that he has lived a life far removed from fishing. However, he shared that he recently took up fishing after being encouraged by an acquaintance to discover the fun of catching webfoot octopus and cuttlefish. The acquaintance, who has been operating a boat for 13 years, started with a small boat and grew the business by saving wages; Noh expressed his amazement at the acquaintance's journey.

On-site, Noh experienced the method and the tactile sensation of webfoot octopus fishing. While waiting for the octopus to latch onto the artificial bait as he swept the seabed, Noh expressed his anticipation, saying, "Even the name 'Jukkumi' is cute." In this fishing trip, which was timed with the lifting of the closed season on September 1, Noh rejoiced after catching a webfoot octopus, saying, "It's so cute," and shared his thoughts while tasting the freshly caught octopus on the spot, noting, "Since I'm eating it on the sea rather than on land, I can feel the freshness."

Not 'cost-effectiveness' but 'value-effectiveness': The energy of an autonomous life

After finishing the fishing, Noh expressed deep reflections on the value of an "autonomous life" felt through this experience. Moving beyond the simple act of catching fish, he explained the overwhelming emotion felt when proactively performing something one loves. Noh said, "The joy of having spent a whole day proactively and autonomously doing what I like most is something that cannot be achieved even if you offered me more money than this."

In particular, he defined this through the concept of "value-effectiveness" (Gachibi). Moving beyond "cost-effectiveness" (Gaseongbi), which considers price-to-performance, or "psychological satisfaction" (Gasimbi), he emphasized a life focused on the value felt in that moment. Citing the example of his younger sibling who spends money on hobbies, he added, "It feels like making consumption that is very good for raising one's life energy." Furthermore, he emphasized the value of such experiences, stating that he feels deeply moved just by gathering and talking with people in the same category.

Updates from Spain and a message to fans

Currently on a 3-day, 2-night itinerary in Spain, Noh stated that his satisfaction with his current life is "extremely high." While staying in Spain, he requested fans to share information about hidden gems, special places, or places he wanted to visit but couldn't through YouTube comments or Instagram DM to communicate with them.

Finally, Noh sent greetings to fans celebrating the Chuseok holiday, expressing his desire to communicate with fans staying in Spain by sharing delicious food or experiences. He concluded his message by revealing his plan to return to Korea on the 29th.