Korean Job Discussion Forums

[actionjackson]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18716300

South Korea is proposing to hunt whales under regulations permitting scientific research whaling, echoing the programmes of its neighbour, Japan.

Hunting would take place near the Korean coast on minke whales. How many would be caught is unclear.

The South Korean delegation to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) said the research was needed "for the proper assessment of whale stocks".

Many governments at the IWC meeting condemned the Korean announcement.

There are several different stocks, or groups, of minke whales in the region, and one of the them, the so-called J-stock, is severely depleted.

Given that fact, "we believe that scientific whaling on this stock borders on the reckless," New Zealand's delegation head, Gerard van Bohemen said.

But Joon-Suk Kang, the head of the South Korean delegation, said the programme was necessary to answer questions about minke whale stocks that non-lethal research had been unable to solve.

The region around the port of Ulsan, in the south-west of South Korea, has a whale-eating tradition that appears to date back thousands of years, judging by prehistoric cave art.

Fishermen in the region already catch whales in fishing nets. Officially, this happens accidentally, but local environment groups say the minkes are deliberately caught, and that the meat is easily bought in markets and restaurants.

[northway]

Yeah, because all Korea needs is more bad press about its eating habits.

[happiness]

OF COURSE< NEVER! THEY ARE KOREANS!


small print, id say 70-80% of modern korea...save the most important parts, the creativity and more logical/fair part..

[nautilus]

[goreality]

I think getting whales for science is legitimate. Accidentally catching them is just irresponsible.

[ewlandon]

except it's not legit. Look at japan they catch whales for "science" and they are one of two countries that eat whales. It's an excuse to hunt them, simple as that.

[skjul]

Let's see what The Convention on Whaling actually says:

Preamble
"Recognizing that the whale stocks are susceptible of natural increases if whaling is properly regulated, and that increases in the size of whale stocks will permit increases in the number of whales which may be captured without endangering these natural resources;"

Article V. II.

"These amendments of the Schedule (a) shall be such as are necessary to carry out the objectives and purposes of this Convention and to provide for the conservation, development, and optimum utilization of the whale resources; (b) shall be based on scientific findings; (c) shall not involve restrictions on the number or nationality of factory ships or land stations, nor allocate specific quotas to any factory ship or land station or to any group of factory ships or land stations; and (d) shall take into consideration the interests of the consumers of whale products and the whaling industry."

Not only shall decision be taken based on scientific criteria, they shall also take into consideration the whaling industries interests. Decisions that fail to do so are improper and without legal effect.

The moratorium on hunting mink whales is not based on scientific findings, in fact, the Cetacean Specialist Group within The World Conservation Union (IUCN) stated in January 2007 that the minke whale did not qualify as �Near Threatened� and should be moved to �Least Concern� on the IUCN Red List.

The IWC is currently an organization with both whaling and non-whaling nations; in fact many member have never hunted any whales. It is a conservationist organization, in direct contradiction to its founding convention, preambles and articles, and as such currently operates illegally and with decisions that have little legal effect if ever tested in the ICJ. The moratorium on whaling was passed against the recommendations of the scientific committee, in express violation of the convention on whaling which explicitly states that decisions shall be made based on scientific findings and take into account the interests of the whaling industry.

An organization which fails to carry out the explicit duties laid upon it is not a legitimate one. Add to that the money politics that goes on behind the scenes, where old colonial powers and current imperial forces pressure smaller and much poorer nations into voting in line with their express political desires.

Oh, and I'm sure you are aware Japan pulled its legal objection to the moratorium (an objection which is allowed for under the convention) only as a response to threats from a country which currently has more than 30.000 highly armed soldiers stationed on its territory?

PS: the mink whale population in the arctic is about 700.000 strong, more than large enough to sustain whaling on the scale carried out in North East Asia.

[northway]

[Steelrails]

If the whales aren't endangered who cares?

If they do catch endangered whales then the boarding, seizing, disabling, and if they persist, sinking of their vessel should be the outcome. Have fun swimming in the shark infested waters.

[Dave Chance]

There's just something about killing a magnificent beast who's managed to survive in the wild (anyone who's done some outdoor survival can respect and understand this) with sonor and high velocity exploding harpoons that puts me off...eskimos and islanders going out in canoes and having to jump onto the back of the beast with a hand-propelled device 'cos they don't have anything else and risk live and limb for their family and village I can admire...it's not like anyone in Japan or Korea really needs whale meat to survive these days...and the meat itself nowadays is tainted with high concentrations of dioxins, PCBs, and mercury, and wouldn't be surprised if it's nuclear radiated to a certain extent.. the only argument I can kinda see is the fact that minke whales eat a whole lotta fish, which therefore makes less available for us

[nautilus]

[Dave Chance]

[yodanole]

The 11 modern whaling nations, including the indigenous peoples of the US and Canada. If indigenous peoples are allowed to harvest whales.....Koreans and Japanese are indigenous peoples with a tradition of whale consumption. Australia ceased commercial whaling operations in 1978.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_United_States

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/whaling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_Australia

[nautilus]