SEOUL, Dec 31 — South Korea is set to fully ban its decades-old controversial practice of bear bile farming next year, according to officials today, although about 200 bears are still in captivity, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Since 1981, South Korea has allowed the import and breeding of bears in an effort to boost income for farmers in rural areas. Although bear imports were banned in 1985 amid growing international criticism, bears continued to be held captive for their bile and other body parts used in alternative medicinal treatments.
The revision to the Wildlife Protection and Management Act passed in December 2023 to formally outlaw bear farming.
This week, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that the breeding of bears and the extraction of bear bile will be prohibited starting January 1 next year.
Authorities said 34 bears have been relocated to protection facilities, but 199 bears remain in captivity at 11 farms across the country as negotiations continue between animal rights groups and bear farmers.
The ministry said it will grant a six-month grace period, during which the farmers will not be punished for keeping or raising bears, but warned that any attempts to extract bear bile will be subject to strict penalties. — Bernama-Yonhap
