Octopus unearths 900-year-old hidden treasure

It is a story that combines all the great mysteries and exciting discoveries of the sea – an octopus hauled onto a fishing boat with valuable ancient pottery attached to its suckers. The discovery is being hailed as one of the great undersea treasure discoveries of modern times. Officials at the National Maritime Museum in Seoul say the pottery dates back to 12th century, when the Koryo Dynasty ruled the Korean peninsula. The adventure began when Korean fisherman Kim Yong-Chul cast out a long line, felt a familiar tug and hauled up his first octopus of the day. He was puzzled by several blue objects attached to its suckers and thought at first they were shells. But when he examined them, he realized they were pieces of pottery. Not realizing he was on the point of making an incredible discovery, he cast out his line again and again, bringing in more octopus with shards of pottery attached. Although other ships have been found and pottery recovered, this is the first time a family of octopus have found a wreck for the museum.