"Could I Actually Die?"... Kang Min-kyung Signs a Waiver in the USA? [Health Talk]

[Financial News] Kang Min-kyung of Davichi attempted the 'spiciest' chicken in the USA and expressed her agony.
On the 28th, Kang Min-kyung released a video titled "The Year-End of an Extrovert Whose Plans Got Canceled" on her YouTube channel.
In the video, after watching a performance in the USA, Kang Min-kyung went on a solo food tour. She visited a famous local chicken restaurant and stated, "I ordered the spiciest flavor available."
She showed a piece of paper she received after ordering and explained, "This isn't a receipt. I had to sign a waiver stating the restaurant is not responsible for any issues caused by the spicy food."
She added, "I thought, 'How spicy could American chicken be?' and ordered without much thought, but when they asked me to sign, I realized, 'This must be seriously spicy.'"
The paper, which resembled a receipt, stated, "This menu item is extremely spicy, and by consuming it, you acknowledge and accept the risks of physical injury, property damage, mental distress, and even death."
After taking a bite, Kang Min-kyung immediately expressed distress and even shed tears. She said, "This is inedible. Absolutely do not eat this," and emphasized, "I'm not joking—don't even try it. Someone could actually die from this. Only people as reckless as me would attempt it."

Indeed, excessive consumption of spicy food can cause severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal issues. In extreme cases, it may even lead to dangerous conditions such as heart attacks. Individual tolerance to spicy foods varies greatly, and some people may experience severe symptoms even with small amounts.
Those with underlying health conditions or poor health should be especially cautious.
In 2023, a woman in her twenties in China died just ten minutes after visiting a hospital with a sore throat following the consumption of hot and spicy Malatang. Medical staff explained that after eating the spicy Malatang and drinking a cold beverage, she developed inflammation and swelling that blocked her airway, resulting in death from acute epiglottitis.
Last year in the USA, a 14-year-old boy with cardiomegaly and Myocardial Bridge Disease died of cardiac arrest after eating an extremely spicy snack, reportedly 500 times spicier than Buldak-bokkeum-myeon. An autopsy revealed that high levels of capsaicin intake were the direct cause.
When consuming hot peppers, the sympathetic nervous system, which regulates most internal organs, is activated, increasing metabolic rate and heat production. The active ingredient in peppers, capsaicin, can cause tissue inflammation, and high concentrations may damage the lining of the stomach or intestines.
In severe cases, it may even lead to cancer. Capsaicin can impair the function of natural killer cells (NK cells) that attack cancer cells, thereby promoting the development of stomach cancer and other malignancies.
Spicy foods can cause serious side effects depending on individual health conditions. Overconsumption should be strictly avoided, and those with pre-existing conditions must exercise particular caution.
moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter