Bear Breeding to Be Punished Starting Tomorrow; 72 Bears at One Farm Remain Unrescued

Starting tomorrow, breeding bears will be subject to legal punishment, but it has been revealed that 72 bears at one farm remain unrescued.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that the grace period, which exempted bear owners from punishment and confiscation of the animals, ends today, June 30.
It is reported that this farm demanded more than double the amount that animal rights groups paid to purchase bears from other farms.
In particular, the farm reportedly filed an administrative lawsuit after its request to change the purpose of the bears to "gallbladder extraction" was rejected in April.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment stated that it will decide whether to file a complaint against the farm after monitoring the outcome of the lawsuit.
Those who own, breed, or propagate bears will face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.
Currently, out of 262 captive bears, 43 have already been rescued and are living in protection facilities in Gurye-gun, South Jeolla Province, and Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon Province.
The remaining 219 bears are located at nine farms, and among them, 147 bears at eight farms have reached an agreement for transfer between the farm owners and animal rights groups.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment plans to relocate an additional 104 bears to protection facilities within this year.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.