South Korea says it may resume whaling, prompting outcry
Source: CNN
South Korea says it may resume whaling, prompting outcry
By Paula Hancocks and Jethro Mullen, CNN
updated 2:23 AM EDT, Thu July 5, 2012
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korea is considering hunting whales in the waters off its shores for what it says are scientific purposes, drawing criticism from environmental groups and countries around the Pacific Rim.
Citing calls from fishermen for a resumption of limited whaling, the head of the South Korean delegation to the International Whaling Commission, Kang Joon-suk, said Wednesday that Seoul was working on a proposal to hunt minke whales migrating off the Korean Peninsula.
Korean fishermen complain the whales are disrupting their fishing activities and eating fish stocks, Kang said at the commission's annual meeting in Panama. Nonlethal measures are not enough to assess the whales' numbers and feeding habits, he said.
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"We believe this move is a thinly veiled attempt by Korea to conduct commercial whaling under the guise of scientific research, similar to hunts conducted by Japan in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary," said Wendy Elliott, head of World Wildlife Fund's delegation to the whaling commission.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/04/world/asia/south-korea-whaling/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
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