A statistical analysis of 649 foreign bodies in the food and air passages which were encountered in the Department of Otolaryngology, Catholic Hospital, Daegu from Mar. 1981 to Dec. 1988 was presented. 1) The total number of foreign bodies was 649 cases, which is approximately 1.77% of the total number of new patients who visited our ENT OPD during the same period. Among them, 592 cases(91.2%) were foreign bodies in food passages and 57 cases(8.8%) were foreign bodies in air passages. The ratio between the food and air passages was 10.4 : 1. 2) The frequently encountered foreign bodies in the esophagus were coins(348 cases : 58.8%), bones, meat in that order. Bean and peanut were the most frequent foreign bodies in the air passage(33 cases : 57.9%) and the next were plastic materials chiefly toys. 3) The most frequent site of lodgement in food passage was 1st esophageal narrowing(521 cases : 88.0%). In foreign bodies of air passages, bronchus was the most frequent site(50 cases : 87.7%) and bronchial foreign bodies were more frequent in the Rt. side than the Lt. side as the ratio of 1.5 : 1. 4) In the age distribution, 329 cases(55.6%) of esophageal foreign bodies were in the under 5 years old group. Most coins were found in children less than 10 years of age(98.9%) and most bones and meat were found in adults older than 20 years(87.8%). And 47 cases(82.4%) of foreign bodies in air passages were in the under 5 years ole group and no cases were found in the age group over 20 years old. All bean cases were found in children under 4, but all plastic toy cases were over 4. 5) In the distribution by sex, males seem to be more frequently involved than females in both cases of food and air passages. Food passage ; M : F=323 : 269(1.2 : 1), Air passage ; M : F=46 : 11(4.2 : 1). 6) In the duration of lodgement, 474 cases(80.1%) of esophageal foreign bodies were removed within 24 hours. But only 21 cases(36.8%) of foreign bodies in air passages were removed within 24 hours. 7) Repeated esophageal foreign bodies were found in 7 cases and double esophageal foreign bodies in 11 cases. 8) The most common cause of foreign bodies was due to carelessness. 9) In the removal of foreign bodies, all foreign bodies in the esophagus and in the air passage were attempted by endoscopic method and two cases were not successful, which were removed by surgical method. The most common complication of esophageal foreign bodies was esophageal abscess and 2 cases of esophageal perforation due to esophagoscopy were encountered. In foreign bodies in air passages, all complications occurred before endoscopy and improved after removal of foreign bodies.