S.Korea to consider whaling if Japan plan approved
By Jon Herskovitz and Kim Junghyun
SEOUL, April 23 (Reuters) - South Korea would consider resuming whaling off its shores if the International Whaling Commission (IWC) approves a plan for neighbour Japan to conduct coastal whaling, a fisheries official said on Thursday.
A panel of the IWC, set up in 1946 to conserve stocks, is seeking a compromise deal for its annual meeting in Madeira in June to let Japan hunt minkes off its coast in return for ending Antarctic whaling or limiting it to sustainable levels. [ID:nLB933270]
"If the general assembly meeting approves Japan's bid, then South Korea could also consider revising current regulations regarding commercial whaling," a fisheries ministry official, who asked not to be named due to sensitive subject matter, told Reuters.
"South Korea does not rule out the possibility of commercial whaling, but that doesn't mean we would go and say we would start it right away."
The major South Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo quoted a separate fisheries official as saying the country would report its stance at the IWC meeting in June.
South Korea used to have a whaling industry but halted the practice when the IWC implemented a global moratorium in 1986.
It does allow the sale of whales caught accidently and is home to restaurants specialising in pricey whale meat dishes.
But conservation groups such as Greenpeace say South Korean boats have been deliberately catching an increasing number of whales and declaring the catches as accidental.
Japan officially observes the 1986 global moratorium on whaling -- unlike Iceland and Norway, which ignore it and carry out commercial whaling. But Japan still catches about 900 whales a year in Antarctic waters for what it calls research purposes.
Japan, which defends its right to scientific catches and says killing whales is no different from slaughtering any other animal, has also long sought a quota of 150 minke whales for coastal areas it says have been impoverished by the moratorium.
Most of the meat from the scientific catches ends up on the dinner table, angering animal welfare groups around the world who argue that many species face extinction and that explosive harpoons used by whalers can cause horrific suffering. (Additional reporting by Stephen Brown in Rome; Editing by Nick Macfie)
SEOUL, April 23 (Reuters) - South Korea would consider resuming whaling off its shores if the International Whaling Commission (IWC) approves a plan for neighbour Japan to conduct coastal whaling, a fisheries official said on Thursday.
A panel of the IWC, set up in 1946 to conserve stocks, is seeking a compromise deal for its annual meeting in Madeira in June to let Japan hunt minkes off its coast in return for ending Antarctic whaling or limiting it to sustainable levels. [ID:nLB933270]
"If the general assembly meeting approves Japan's bid, then South Korea could also consider revising current regulations regarding commercial whaling," a fisheries ministry official, who asked not to be named due to sensitive subject matter, told Reuters.
"South Korea does not rule out the possibility of commercial whaling, but that doesn't mean we would go and say we would start it right away."
The major South Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo quoted a separate fisheries official as saying the country would report its stance at the IWC meeting in June.
South Korea used to have a whaling industry but halted the practice when the IWC implemented a global moratorium in 1986.
It does allow the sale of whales caught accidently and is home to restaurants specialising in pricey whale meat dishes.
But conservation groups such as Greenpeace say South Korean boats have been deliberately catching an increasing number of whales and declaring the catches as accidental.
Japan officially observes the 1986 global moratorium on whaling -- unlike Iceland and Norway, which ignore it and carry out commercial whaling. But Japan still catches about 900 whales a year in Antarctic waters for what it calls research purposes.
Japan, which defends its right to scientific catches and says killing whales is no different from slaughtering any other animal, has also long sought a quota of 150 minke whales for coastal areas it says have been impoverished by the moratorium.
Most of the meat from the scientific catches ends up on the dinner table, angering animal welfare groups around the world who argue that many species face extinction and that explosive harpoons used by whalers can cause horrific suffering. (Additional reporting by Stephen Brown in Rome; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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