Walfang kor
7. März 2016 1
Walfang kor
http://www.greenpeace.de/themen/meere/nachrichten/artikel/korea_neuigkeiten_aus_der_greenpeace
_wale_botschaft_in_ulsan/
Korea: Neuigkeiten aus der Greenpeace-Wale-Botschaft in Ulsan
Hamburg/Ulsan, 26.06.2005
In Ulsan/Korea tagte vom 20. bis 24. Juni 2005 die Internationale Walfang-Kommission (IWC).
Greenpeace hat dort gegen den Walfang protestiert . Lesen Sie hier die Berichte der GreenpeaceAktivisten vor Ort.
Greenpeace Aktivisten haben auf dem Gelaende einer geplanten Walfleischfabrik in Ulsan eine "WalBotschaft" errichtet. Greenpeace fordert, die Bildergalerie starten
Samstag, 25. Juni
Die letzten Tage waren ziemlich anstrengend und viele von uns waren auch emotional ziemlich
geschafft von der Situation hier. Seit viele der Aktivisten weg sind, können die Zurückgebliebenen das
Camp so gut wie gar nicht mehr verlassen, da wir sonst nicht genug Leute zur Bewachung der
Botschaft hätten.
Die IWC war ein großes Ziel für uns. Das wir es geschafft haben, die Wale-Botschaft bis zur
Konferenz zu halten, ist ein großer Erfolg. Die Frage bleibt nur, ob die Konferenz selbst überhaupt
effektiv ist, um Wale zu schützen. Nun ist die IWC vorbei, und wenn wir mit unseren Leuten sprechen,
die an der Konferenz teilgenommen haben, haben wir doch alle das Gefühl, dass die IWC nicht
wirklich etwas für die Wale erreicht hat und wahrscheinlich auch in Zukunft nicht erreichen wird. Das
ist schon enttäuschend.
Am Freitag haben wir von einem BBC-News-Artikel erfahren, in dem der koreanische Kommissioner
sagt, die Walfleischfabrik werde doch gebaut. Er sähe nur Vorteile in einem Bau solch einer Fabrik, da
dies den Behörden dazu verhelfen würde, illegalen Walfang (getarnt als Beifang) aufzuspüren und zu
kontrollieren. Genauer hat er dies leider nicht erklärt...
Die Bauarbeiter hier haben um uns herum einen hohen Bauzaun errichtet, der uns fast schon
umzingelt. Das wirkt sich auf die Stimmung hier im Camp auch nicht gerade besonders gut aus. Wir
gehen allerdings nicht davon aus, dass mit dem Bau der Walfleischfabrik (im Gegensatz zum
Research Center) vor Ende diesen Jahres begonnen wird. In den nächsten Monaten wird KFEM die
Regierung weiter unter Druck setzen, um zu verhindern dass sie das nötige Geld für den Bau der
Fabrik bereitstellt.
Morgen ist nun unser letzter Tag hier. Wir erwarten zum Glück viele Helfer von KFEM und hoffen,
dass wir alles gut in einem Tag schaffen werden. Heute und gestern abend kamen viele von unseren
Freunden und KFEM-Helfern vorbei und haben mit uns Abschied von Jangsengpo gefeiert, wir haben
uns gegenseitig für die gute Arbeit gedankt und Geschenke ausgetauscht. Es scheint, als würden in
Jangsengpo, in Ulsan und sogar über ganz Korea verteilt sehr viele Menschen sich noch lange an
diese 77-Tage-Besetzung auf dem Gelände der geplanten Walfleischfabrik errinnern. Hoffentlich
werden die Menschen die Kampagne weiterführen, sodass wir nicht noch einmal zurück kommen
müssen, um den Bau der Fabrik zu stoppen.
Donnerstag, 23. Juni
Gestern hatten wir hohen Besuch hier: der australische und der neuseeländische Umweltminister
kamen uns besuchen. Mit ihnen kamen eine Horde Kamerateams und Menschen in schicken Anzügen
und machten für 20 Minuten ein grosses Spektakel um unsere Wale-Botschaft. Für uns war dies
natürlich ein sehr medienwirksamer Besuch, aber auch eine sehr gute Gelegenheit, den Ministern vor
laufenden Kameras für ihre Anti-Walfangarbeit zu danken und weitere Aktionen zu fordern. Der
australische Minister meinte, Walfang gehöre in die Geschichtsbücher, und nachdem wir den beiden
T-Shirts aus der Walebotschaft überreicht hatten, meinte der Minister, er würde dieses T-Shirt mit
Stolz tragen. Insgesamt war dieser Besuch von offiziellen Regierungsvertretern bei einer GreenpeaceBesetzung ein sehr grosser Erfolg für uns.
Das Team in der Wale-Botschaft wird immer kleiner, immer mehr Leute verlassen uns und wir merken,
wie unsere Zeit hier langsam zu Ende geht. Mit der IWC in vollem Gange ist das Campaigner-Team
dort sehr beschäftigt, und hier ist es meist sehr ruhig. Tagsüber ist es kaum möglich zu arbeiten, es ist
einfach zu heiss, in den Zelten ist die Luft unerträglich und der einzige Schatten draussen bietet unser
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 2
aufblasbarer Wal. Dort lässt es sich ganz gut aushalten. Kelly, unsere Aktivistin aus den USA hat uns
nach 5 Wochen hier verlassen, und wir sind ausnahmsweise alle zusammen in einem traditionellen
koreanischen Restaurant essen gegangen, während Thomas Henningsen und ein paar andere auf
unser Camp aufgepasst haben. Zum Abschluss haben wir uns tatsächlich noch in Karaoke versucht,
sehr zu unser aller Vergnügen...
Montag, 20. Juni
Gestern abend fand die Projektion an dem IWC Hotel in Ulsan statt, bei der Menschen aus aller Welt
Fotos von sich mit einer Anti-Walfang- Nachricht ins Internet gestellt hatten. Über 51 000 Menschen
haben an diesem Virtual March teilgenommen. Für diejenigen, die in der Wale-Botschaft während des
Virtual Marches Stellung hielten, war es gestern abend sehr ruhig. Später kamen die anderen wieder
und berichteten uns von den Ereignissen, alles hat sehr gut geklappt. Wir waren froh, es geschafft zu
haben.
Was die IWC betrifft, so sind wir hier in der Botschaft doch sehr abseits vom Geschehen. Aber wir
hören immer die Berichte der Greenpeace Kampaigner und Presseleute, die uns hier besuchen. So
war die Neuigkeit doch sehr beunruhigend für uns, dass noch drei afrikanische Länder auf japanischer
Seite der IWC beigetreten sind und Japan damit die Chance hat, eine Mehrheit im Komitee zu
erreichen. Zum Glück hatten diese Länder ihren Mitgliedsbeitrag nicht rechtzeitig gezahlt, so dass die
Abstimmungen gegen Japan ausgegangen sind. Japan hatte Anträge gestellt, Diskussionen über
Schutzgebiete sowie den Tierschutz von der IWC-Tagesordnung zu streichen und geheime
Abstimmungen einzuführen. Diese Anträge wurden jedoch abgelehnt.
Sonntagnacht kam noch ein Mann in unser Gemeinschaftszelt gestürmt und sagte uns, dass nur
dreihundert Meter vom Camp gerade ein Minkewal zerteilt wird. Sofort machten sich Jim, der
Campaigner, und Marek, unser Kameramensch, auf, um dies zu filmen. Auf dem Gehsteig war ein 4,5
Meter langer Wal (ein sehr junges Tier) schon fast völlig zerstückelt worden. Es sei nur der Kopf noch
zerteilt worden. Jim und Marek wurden nicht besonders freundlich empfangen, mit Walblut bespritzt
und mit Eisstücken beworfen. Sie haben es trotzdem geschafft, das ganze auf Video aufzunehmen.
Ein Mann teilte ihnen mit, dass dieser Wal kein Beifang sei, sich also nicht in einem Fischnetz
verfangen hat und ertrunken ist, sondern so gefangen worden sei, was natürlich illegal ist. Wir wissen
leider nicht, ob diese Behauptung stimmt. Der Minkewal wurde für US $31.000 verkauft.
Sonntag, 19. Juni
Das Wochenende ist überstanden: wir haben alle sehr lange und hart gearbeitet, hatten aber auch
sehr viel Spass ! Am Donnerstagabend gab es hier ein grosses Feuerwerk zur Eröffnung des
Walfang- Festivals. Das ganze Wochenende drang pausenlos laute und meist sehr
gewöhnungsbedürftige Musik zu uns herüber. Für diejenigen, die für unseren Stand im Park eingeteilt
waren, war es eine Erholung, hier wegzukommen.
Hier in der Wale-Botschaft und im Park hatten wir sehr viele Besucher. Ich habe Stunden damit
verbracht, kleinen Kindern Wale und Delpine auf die Gesichter und Arme zu malen. Eine nette
Aufgabe: die Kinder hier sind einfach super und die Eltern werden währenddessen von uns mit Infos
zum Thema Wale und Walfang versorgt.
Ich hatte das Glück, zur rechten Zeit einmal kurz das Walfangfestival zu besuchen, gerade als die
traditionellen Zeremonien begannen. Es wurde ein Walfang nachgespielt, also ein Holzwal von
Menschen auf Holzschiffen geschossen, dann kamen die Frauen und zogen den Wal "an Land", und
am Ende kletterte ein ziemlich gemein aussehender Mann auf den Holzwal und tat so, als würde er
ihn zerlegen. Das Ganze geschah unter Trommeln, grossem Hallo und Gejubel der Zuschauer.
Allerdings gibt es dieses Fest mit diesen Zeremonien erst seit zehn Jahren und scheint Kritikern etwas
fragwürdig. Natürlich wurde auf dem Fest auch Walfleisch verkauft.
Im Park an unserem Stand zu arbeiten war wirklich eine Erholung, die Luft war viel besser und es war
schön, einmal wieder Bäume und Wiesen um sich herum zu haben. Wir hatten unseren Stand neben
Green Korea, einer anderen koreanischen Umweltschutzorganisation. Mit unserem großen
aufblasbaren Wal, einem Fernseher, der Wal- und Walfangbilder zeigte, und einem Poster vom
japanischen Walfang direkt auf dem Weg erregten wir schon große Aufmerksamkeit. Unsere
japanischen Nachbarn kamen uns auch einmal besuchen: sie waren sehr freundlich, aber nicht sehr
erfolgreich bei dem Versuch, uns davon zu überzeugen, dass doch alle Länder wieder Wale fangen
sollten.
Greenpeace Aktivisten protestieren mit Banner und Wal-Fluken auf dem Gelaende einer geplanten
Walfleischfabrik. Die Aktivisten haben auf dem Bildergalerie starten
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7. März 2016 3
Als ich sie auf die sehr geringen Populationsschätzungen der Grauwale in koreanischen Gewässern
ansprach und fragte, ob sie nicht ein Problem im Fang dieser vom Aussterben bedrohten Art sähen,
lachten sie nur und meinten, Greenpeace suche sich ja immer nur die negativsten Beispiele bei ihren
Diskussionen heraus. Da konnte auch ich nur lächeln und sie gehen lassen.
Mein erstes nicht so schönes Erlebnis hier war die Begegnung mit einem sehr wütenden
Walfleischrestaurant- Besitzer beim verteilen des Flyers auf dem Festival. Er kam auf uns zu, riss uns
die Zettel aus der Hand, warf sie auf den Boden und schrie uns wild gestikulierend an. Leider hatten
wir keine koreanischen Übersetzer dabei, so konnten wir nur dastehen, freundlich lächeln und darauf
warten, dass er sich langsam beruhigt. Viele Leute blieben stehen und hörten zu, einige hoben die
Zettel vom Boden auf und lasen interessiert weiter. Uns kam ein Mann zur Hilfe, der übersetzte, dass
der Restaurantbesitzer uns und unsere Kampagne nicht mag (hätten wir uns fast gedacht...) und wir
doch in unsere eigenen Länder zurück gehen sollten, um dort gegen Walfang zu protestieren.
Irgendwann sind wir einfach weggegangen, um ein paar Ecken verschwunden und haben unsere
Zettel zuende verteilt.
Der selbe Koreaner kam am Abend sehr betrunken zu unserer Wale-Botschaft und schrie uns weiter
an, diesmal war zum Glück unser Freund, Übersetzer und KFEM-Kampaigner Mr. Ma dort, um sich
um den Mann zu kümmern. Dieser meinte, er hätte zusammen mit anderen WalfleischrestaurantBesitzern eine Gang angeheuert und Benzinkannister besorgt, um uns hier zu attackieren und zu
verjagen. Solche Drohungen sind für dieses Camp nichts Neues, dennoch sind wir natürlich vorsichtig
und müssen die Polizei und Gemeinde jedes Mal verständigen, um solche Vorfälle zu melden.
Zusätzlich haben wir unsere Nachtschichten verdoppelt und bleiben natürlich sehr wachsam.
Was die Gerüchte um den Bau der Walfleischfabrik betrifft, so hören wir immer wieder Neues. Die
australische Botschaft hat die Stadtregierung von Ulsan angerufen, um in Erfahrung zu bringen, ob es
stimmt, dass sie die Walverarbeitungsfabrik nicht mehr bauen wollen. Die Stadtregierung hat erwidert,
dass sie gar nie vorgehabt hätte, eine zu bauen. Um ein bisschen auszuführen: Eine unserer
koreanischen Übersetzerinnen hat gesagt, dass es in Korea als schändlich angesehen wird, öffentlich
sein Gesicht zu verlieren. Die koreanische Regierung wollte vermutlich nicht zugeben, dass sie die
Pläne auf Grund des Druckes von Greenpeace und KFEM verworfen haben. Und sagten, sie hätten
einen solchen Bau nie vorgehabt. Diese Neuigkeiten stimmen uns alle sehr zuversichtlich und lassen
darauf hoffen, dass es sich beim Zeitungsbericht nicht bloss um ein Gerücht handelt.
Mittwoch, 15. Juni
Die Ruhe hat sich gelegt - und der Sturm begonnen. Unser Camp wird immer voller, jeden Tag
kommen neue internationale Greenpeace-Kampagnen- und Presseleute im Vorfeld der IWC zu uns.
Heute waren alle sehr beschäftigt mit den Vorbereitungen zum Walfänger-Festival, dass in Ulsan
dieses Wochenende stattfinden wird. Dieses Fest, komplett mit traditionellen und Jahrhunderte-alt
wirkenden Ritualen und Tänzen rund um den Walfang und natürlich auch Walfleischverkauf wird erst
seit 10 Jahren hier in Ulsan gefeiert - und hat eine sehr imposante Präsenz der japanischen
Walfanglobby vor Ort.
Das Ganze findet in der Innenstadt und hier draußen am Hafen, direkt neben uns, statt. Schon jetzt
werden neben uns Stände und Bühnen aufgebaut und Musik dröhnt zu uns herüber. Ich habe etwas
Schwierigkeiten, mich für koreanische Popmusik zu begeistern und schon überlegt, ob ich denen nicht
eine CD schenken sollte. Insgesamt rechnen die Organisatoren wohl mit 200.000 Besuchern pro Tag
!!! Da wir nicht viele Aktivisten sind und uns aufteilen müssen, werden uns Mitglieder von der KFEM
(Korean Foundation of Environmental Movement) unter die Arme greifen. Einen Stand im Park in der
Innenstadt haben wir auch organisiert, gleich in Nachbarschaft der Japanischen Walfang-Vereinigung.
Wir werden wohl die einzige Anti-Walfang-Organisation dort sein und unsere Nachbarn mit Postern
ihrer Walfangboote beim Jagen erfreuen.
Gleichzeitig laufen die Vorbereitungen für die Präsentation des Virtual March, für den über 28.000
Leute aus aller Welt Fotos von sich mit einer Anti-Walfang Nachricht per Internet zu Greenpeace
geschickt haben. Am Sonntag werden diese Bilder von Walfanggegnern im Zentrum von Ulsan
projeziert. Wir haben die Erlaubnis bekommen, die Projezierung an dem Hotel durchzuführen, in dem
die IWC-Tagung stattfinden wird !!
Etwas, das uns heute auch noch aus unserem alltäglichen Rhythmus geworfen hat, war die
Information, dass eine koreanische nationale Zeitung einen Artikel darüber gedruckt hat, dass die
koreanische Regierung beschließt, den Plan für den Bau der Walfleischfabrik einzustellen. Leider ist
es ziemlich unmöglich, dies von der Regierung schriftlich zu bekommen und darum auch nicht die
Zeit, dies als Sieg zu feiern. Jedoch stimmt es uns zuversichtlich, da die Regierung jetzt dazu Stellung
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 4
nehmen muss - denn die Reaktionen auf nationaler wie internationaler Ebene werden bestimmt nicht
ausbleiben. Der Artikel zitiert die koreanische Regierung, welche gesagt haben soll, dass der Bau der
Fabrik nicht von ‚nationalem Interesse’ wäre, da Korea nicht als Pro-Walfangnation da stehen möchte.
Dienstag, 14. Junil
Heute abend gab es für einige von uns die einmalige Gelegenheit, auf eine Einladung hin eine
Opernvorstellung in Ulsan zu besuchen. Wir wurden vor dem Opernhaus wie VIPs empfangen etwas, das für uns alle sehr ungewohnt war. Der Produzent der Oper setzte uns auf die besten Plätze,
um uns zu zeigen, wie sehr er mit unserer Arbeit gegen den Walfang sympathisiert! Gleich nach der
Oper gingen wir zu einem Restaurant, in das wir von Dr. Moon, einem Zahnarzt aus Ulsan, eingeladen
worden waren. Die Speisen, die Dr. Moon im Voraus für uns ausgesucht hatte, waren zwar sehr
ungewöhnlich für uns, aber unglaublich lecker. Für Eric aus den Niederlanden und Jo aus Kanada war
dies der letzte Abend in Korea. Sie hatten während der Abwesenheit von Adam und Jim das Camp
wunderbar geleitet. Nochmals vielen Dank den Beiden für die tolle Arbeit ! Dr. Moon setzt sich seit
Jahrzehnten sehr aktiv im Umweltschutz ein. Er war einer der ersten Koreaner, die das Thema damals
auf den Tisch brachten - und das noch zur Zeit der Militärdiktatur. Im April begleitete Dr. Moon die
Rainbow Warrior auf ihrer Korea-Tour 2005. Er sagte, für ihn sei es ein unbeschreibliches Gefühl, mit
Greenpeace-Leuten an einem Tisch in Korea sitzen zu können.
Montag, 13. Juni
Heute kamen Bauarbeiter zu uns auf das Gelände und haben angefangen, die Umgebung zu
vermessen, Telefonleitungen zu legen und Wohncontainer aufzustellen. Der neue Bauleiter versprach
uns, dass diese Vorarbeiten unsere Wale-Botschaft in keiner Weise stören würden. Gleichzeitig
schien er aber doch sehr interessiert daran, herauszufinden, wann wir denn nun endlich unser Camp
abbauen wollen. Diesbezüglich äußerten wir uns nicht zu präzise.
Die letzten Tage war es sehr heiß hier, und es strengt uns alle etwas an, dieser Hitze von morgens um
sieben bis spät abends nicht entfliehen zu können. Der Wind bringt jedoch meist erfreuliche
Erfrischung, allerdings auch Staubwolken und die interessantesten Chemie- und Gasgerüche aus der
Umgebung hier.
Die Luftverschmutzung wirkt sich auf einige von uns gesundheitlich sehr stark aus, was wirklich etwas
bedenklich ist. Wir haben gehört, dass wegen der starken Verschmutzung in den 80er Jahren
zehntausende von Menschen aus dieser Gegend evakuiert werden mussten. Mir geht es zum Glück
gut. Heute veranstalteten wir ein kleines Klettertraining mit Mikey aus Australien als unser Trainer, und
ich hatte sehr viel Spass, über Kopf an unserem Fahnenmast zu hängen.
Sonntag, 12. Juni
Letzte Woche ging unglaublich schnell rum, obwohl es insgesamt doch sehr ruhig hier war. Viele neue
Leute sind angekommen und wir hatten alle Zeit uns anzufreunden, viel von unserer neuen
Umgebung zu lernen und uns gut in die kleinen Details der Problematik um den Walfang und die
Internationale Walfangkonferenz einzuarbeiten. Ein bisschen schien es wie die Ruhe vor dem Sturm,
da wir uns alle darüber im Klaren sind, dass die nächsten zwei Wochen noch einmal wirklich harte
Arbeit erfordern.
Und schon stand das Wochenende wieder vor der Tür, an dem wir alle Hände voll zu tun hatten.
Gleich Samstag morgen kamen 3 Busse mit 70 Kindern vorbei, die wir mal schnell für eine Stunde
beschäftigen mussten.
Unsere Vorträge für die Besucher hier werden immer sehr begeistert und dankbar aufgenommen. Oft
wird uns mit Applaus für unsere Reden gedankt. Meist geht es hier darum, Vorurteile abzubauen und
Mißvertändisse zu klären. Es glauben beispielweise viele Leute, dass hauptsächlich Wale dafür
verantwortlich sind, dass in den Meeren immer weniger Fische gefangen werden. Das stimmt natürlich
nicht. Es ist schön zu sehen, dass die Menschen sich sehr schnell für das Schicksal der Wale
interessieren.
Wir bemühen uns, statistisch gesicherte Informationen zu vermitteln, wie beispielsweise
Populationszahlen verschiedener Walarten um Korea oder jährliche Beifangzahlen von Korea und
Japan im Vergleich. Dabei beziehen wir uns meist auf Recherchen von unabhängigen
Wissenschaftlern, die auch gerade hier im Scientific Committee der IWC tagen.
Gestern war außerdem ein ganz besonderer Tag: das zweimonatige Jubiläum unserer Besetzung
dieses Walfleischfabrikgeländes mit unserer Wale-Botschaft hier in Jangsaengpo ! Dazu haben wir
abends aus gegebenem Anlass unsere KFEM-(Korean Federation of Environment Movement)Freunde
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 5
und Mitstreiter zu einer Feier in unserem doch erstaunlich gemütlichen Wohn-/Küchen-/Schlafzelt
eingeladen. Eine Motto-Party sollte es ja schon sein, und deshalb mussten sich alle als Piraten
verkleiden. Es war schön, unsere KFEM-Mitstreiter in netter Atmosphäre kennenzulernen. Und wer
hätte schon gedacht, dass wir so ein Jubiläum hier je feiern würden !
Dienstag, 31.Mai
Der Premierminister von Korea war heute hier, ebenso der Minister für Fischerei und
Meeresangelegenheiten, sowie etwa hundert Offizielle und hohe Militärs auf der Bühne vor einem
gekauften Publikum von etwa 4.000 Personen. Alle befanden sich wenige hundert Meter entfernt von
unserer Wale-Botschaft auf der Seite der geplanten Walfleischverarbeitungsfabrik. Für 11 Uhr
organisierte die KFEM (koreanische Walschutz-NGO) zwei Paraglider, die über die Veranstaltung
flogen mit der Aufschrift Ulsan - Stadt des Whalewatching - KFEM in Koreanisch auf den Flügeln
sowie dem schönen blauen Schriftzug No-Whaling - Greenpeace auf Englisch. Obwohl die Polizei den
zweiten Flieger von Greenpeace zuerst am Starten während der Ansprache des Premierministers
hindern konnte, starteten beide Flieger doch kurze Zeit später und glitten über die Bühne, die WaleBotschaft und das neu eröffnete Walemuseum. Es war viel Presse vor Ort, KFEM und Greenpeace
gaben ein halbes Dutzend Interviews. Während viele TV-Kamerateams Greenpeace und die KFEM in
der Wale-Botschaft nach dem weiteren Vorgehen fragten, flog einer der Paraglider im Tiefflug über die
Wale-Botschaft und zog damit alle Aufmerksamkeit auf sich...
Hallo aus der Wale-Botschaft in Korea !
In den letzten sieben Jahren habe ich schon viel mit Greenpeace erlebt, aber in Südkorea in unserer
Wale-Botschaft auszuhelfen, ist für mich auf jeden Fall ein ganz besonderes Highlight, an das ich mich
bestimmt lange errinnern werde !
Zu Greenpeace bin ich durch die Braunschweiger Greenpeace-Gruppe gekommen. Ich studiere in
Braunschweig Geoökologie. In der Greenpeace-Gruppe zu arbeiten hat mir immer sehr viel Spass
gemacht, und ich habe dort schnell festgestellt, wieviel mehr ich bei Greenpeace-Ständen oder
Schulvorträgen lerne, als bei meinen Vorlesungen. Auch konnte ich mich bei diversen nationalen und
internationalen Aktionen nützlich machen.
Was mich an Greenpeace immer schon sehr fasziniert hat, war mit einer weltweit agierenden
Organisation arbeiten zu können. Wie in einer großen Familie bin ich während meines Studiums in
Neuseeland wie in Australien bei Greenpeace unglaublich freundlich aufgenommen worden. Es war
immer wieder erstaunlich zu sehen, wie Greenpeace es schafft, global so viel zu erreichen und
interessant zu erfahren, wie wir in verschiedenen Ländern unterschiedlich - aber mit den gleichen
Zielen - arbeiten. Auch jetzt ist es wieder unglaublich aufregend und spannend, mit Aktivisten aus der
ganzen Welt hier in Südkorea zu arbeiten, zu leben und zu sehen, wie wir Einfluss nehmen können
und es schaffen, tatsächlich ein bisschen die Welt zu verändern.
Ich bin bestimmt nicht die Einzige, die für meine Vorstellung, dass ich mein Leben gerne damit
verbringen möchte, unserer Umwelt zu helfen, oftmals etwas belächelt wurde. Da ist es für mich eine
besondere Freude, mich hier zum Schutz der Wale einzusetzen und eine unserer wichtigsten und
ältesten Kampagnen sehr intensiv kennenzulernen. Experten aus aller Welt treffen diesen Monat hier
zusammen, um über die Zukunft dieser für das marine Ökosystem lebenswichtigen Tiere zu
diskutieren. So bekomme ich hier besonders ein Gefühl dafür, wie wichtig es ist, bei internationalen
Abkommen wie der Internationalen Walfangkonferenz als Greenpeace präsent zu sein. Ich hoffe dass
ich nach Ende meines Studiums in diesem Sommer Greenpeace noch lange tatkräftig zur Seite
stehen kann, in welchem Land auch immer ! Cornelia
IWC Korea: Protest gegen die Wiederaufnahme des Walfangs !
Text Bild add2any
Hamburg/Ulsan, 24.06.2005, veröffentlicht von Greenpeace Redaktion
Vom 20. bis 24. Juni, fand in der südkoreanischen Stadt Ulsan das 57. Jahrestreffen der
Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC) statt. Auf dem Treffen wird wieder heftig um den
Fortbestand des Walfangverbotes von 1986 gerungen. Von höchstem Interesse ist deshalb, welche
und wie viele IWC-Mitgliedsnationen für oder gegen den Walfang sind.
Details zu diesem Bild anzeigen
Virtueller Protestmarsch zum Schutz der Wale
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 6
Es sah so aus, als schlüge sich das Gastgeberland Korea auf die Seite der Walfänger. Doch dagegen
ist in den vergangenen Wochen heftigster Protest aufgebraust. Mehr als 57.000 Menschen weltweit
haben sich an dem "Virtual March - NO WHALING", der Greenpeace-Protestaktion im Internet,
beteiligt. Diese Protestkundgebung richtete sich an die Internationale Walfangkommission (IWC) und
ihre Mitgliedsstaaten.
Sie können sich auf der internationalen Protestseite eine Galerie der Menschen aus aller Welt
ansehen, die bei dieser Protestaktion mit gemacht haben.
Die koreanische Tageszeitung The Hankyoreh berichtete, dass sich die Stadtväter von Ulsan von dem
Plan, eine Walfleisch verarbeitende Fabrik zu bauen, verabschiedet hätten. Vielleicht ist dies auch ein
Signal, dass Korea bei der kommenden IWC doch nicht auf der Seite der Walfangbefürworter steht.
"Dieser Zeitungsartikel ist der erste Schritt zum Erfolg", sagt Iris Menn, Meeresexpertin bei
Greenpeace. "Aber noch haben wir nicht die schriftliche Erklärung in der Hand, dass Ulsan tatsächlich
auf den Bau der Fabrik verzichtet." Greenpeace protestiert seit Wochen mit einer ständig besetzten
"Wale-Botschaft" auf dem für die Fabrik vorgesehenen Gelände gegen diese Pläne.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=428280195984&id=90658558683&ref=mf
23. April 2010
In der Nacht auf heute veröffentlichte die Internationale Walfangkommission (IWC) den
überarbeiteten Verhandlungsvorschlag über die „Zukunft der IWC“ und Regulierung des Walfangs. Im
Juni 2010 wird dieser zur Abstimmung vorgelegt. Den von internationalen Artenschutzorganisationen,
aber auch einigen Staaten, in den vergangenen Wochen vorgebrachten Kernkritikpunkten wurde in
keiner Weise begegnet.
Einige Kritikpunkte sind:
- Das kommerzielle Walfangverbot wird für 10 Jahre außer Kraft gesetzt und alle aktuellen
Walfangaktivitäten legitimiert und legalisiert. Dadurch wird die Entwicklung von Märkten für
Walprodukte stimuliert. Eine Rückkehr zum globalen kommerziellen Walfangverbot scheint dann
ausgeschlossen. Korea hat bereits klar gemacht, sein Recht auf die Wiederaufnahme des
kommerziellen Walfangs zu nutzen.
- Das Vertragsrecht, wissenschaftlichen Walfang zu betreiben, bleibt für jedes IWC-Mitglied aufrecht
und könnte zu jedem Zeitpunkt genutzt werden!
- Die vorgeschlagenen Walfangquoten würden Island und Norwegen keine Reduktion abringen - im
Gegenteil: Die Anzahl der tatsächlich gefangenen Wale könnte gegenüber den durchschnittlichen
Fangzahlen der vergangenen Jahre ansteigen.
- Der Vorschlag sieht nicht vor, Walfangaktivitäten zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt einzustellen, das
Gegenteil wäre der Fall.
- Die Walfangaktivitäten im Walschutzgebiet werden legitimiert.
- Jeder Staat hat weiterhin das Recht, gegenüber Bestimmungen und Fangquoten Vorbehalte
einzubringen.
„Die Walschutzstaaten haben innerhalb dieser Verhandlungen in keinem Punkt rechtsverbindliche
Zugeständnisse von Pro-Walfangstaaten erhalten, um eine Verbesserung der gegenwärtigen Situation
zu erreichen“, kritisiert Nicolas Entrup, Sprecher der internationalen Wal- und Delfinschutzorganisation
WDCS, das Dokument und fügt hinzu: „Die Annahme des Vorschlages wäre mittelfristig eine
Rückkehr zum kommerziellen Walfang im globalen Ausmaß – eine unumkehrbar Rückkehr.“.
Medienberichten zufolge verweisen z.B. die USA auf den Verhandlungserfolg, die Anzahl aktuell
getöteter Wale dadurch zu reduzieren. Angeführt wird das angebliche Zugeständnis Japans, die selbst
auferlegten Fangzahlen im Walschutzgebiet in der Antarktis auf 400 Zwergwale und 10 Finnwale pro
Jahr zu reduzieren.
„Die Angaben sind irreführend“, kontert Entrup von der WDCS. „Die Fangquote zur Tötung von
Zwergwalen in der Antarktis wäre in der Tat signifikant niedriger, jedoch geht es um die Frage der
Anzahl getöteter Wale. Japan hat in den vergangenen Jahren durchschnittlich 473 Zwergwale pro
Fangsaison getötet. Die Anzahl getöteter Finnwale könnte sogar ansteigen. Japan erlegte seit der
Fangsaison 2000/2001 aus einer selbst auferlegten Fangquote von 50 Finnwalen pro Jahr insgesamt
47 Finnwale. Nun würde der IWC-Vorschlag die Tötung von 10 Finnwalen jährlich legalisieren. Japan
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 7
hätte somit im Vergleichszeitraum nach dem neuen Vorschlag um 53 Finnwale mehr töten können.
Auch könnte Japan rechtlich gesehen weiterhin tun und lassen, was es will. Island und Norwegen
dürften nun von den IWC legitimiert mehr Wale jährlich fangen, als sie dies im Durchschnitt in den
vergangenen Jahren getan haben. Man betreibt einfach ein Verwirrspiel durch Angaben über
Fangquoten und Fangzahlen. Zusätzlich ist in dem Vorschlag die Ausweitung der Waljagd in Grönland
vorgesehen, da ein noch nicht genehmigter Antrag auf die Jagd von Buckelwalen darin bereits
enthalten ist“, sagt der WDCS-Sprecher.
Die WDCS resümiert: „Der IWC-Vorschlag ist eine Belohnung für die Bemühungen der
Walfangstaaten, die Staatengemeinschaft zu erpressen. Um das Gesicht nicht total zu verlieren,
versucht man, die Öffentlichkeit irrezuführen, da man den Walfangstaaten keinerlei rechtliche
Zugeständnisse abringen konnte.“.
„Ich erwarte, dass die deutsche Bundesregierung sich umgehend und in aller Deutlichkeit von diesem
Verhandlungspaket distanziert und alles daran setzt, um innerhalb der Europäischen Union für eine
klare Ablehnung zu werben“, fordert Entrup von der WDCS.
http://www.wdcs-de.org/news.php?select=485
27. April 2009
Koreas Regierung bestätigt Walfangpläne
Laut Informationen der Website Donga.com bestätigte die Koreanische Regierung im Vorfeld der
Jahrestagung der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC) nun ihre Pläne, den Walfang legalisieren
zu wollen. Das Ministerium für Land-, Forstwirtschaft, Ernährung und Fischerei ließ verlauten, dass
Korea sowohl die Jagd zu „wissenschaftlichen Zwecken“ als auch die kommerzielle Bejagung in
Küstengewässern aufnehmen möchte. Korea zeigt sich überzeugt davon, mit Hilfe dieser Maßnahmen
dem illegalen Walfang einen Riegel vorschieben zu können.
Die WDCS hält dieses Argument für höchst bedenklich. Es sei klar, dass Korea den Walfang nicht
aufgeben, sondern Wale töten möchte ohne Sanktionen befürchten müssen. Die aktuellen Versuche
anderer Nationen, darunter auch einige EU-Länder, eine Wiederaufnahme des kommerziellen
Walfangs durch die IWC wieder hoffähig zu machen, stellten einen Anreiz für Korea dar, seine
eigenen Walfanginteressen zu überdenken.
+
11. März 2009
Koreas Walfang kurz vor der Wiederaufnahme
Rom, 11.03.2009: Ende der interimistischen Tagung der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC) in
Rom. Zentraler Punkt der Verhandlungen war die Ausarbeitung eines angestrebten Kompromisses,
der Japan freiwillig zur Reduktion oder vollkommenen Einstellung seines wissenschaftlichen
Walfangprogramms in der Antarktis bewegen und im Gegenzug den „traditionellen Walfang“ in
Küstengewässern ermöglichen soll. Korea begrüßte den Vorschlag und stellte klar, dass es großes
Interesse an der Wiederaufnahme des Walfangs in Küstengewässern habe. Bekäme Japan eine
Fangquote zugesprochen, werde es sich ebenso um eine solche bemühen.
Die internationale Wal- und Delfinschutzorganisation WDCS warnt die Mitgliedsstaaten der IWC seit
längerem davor, dass der sogenannte Kompromissvorschlag die Situation für Wale noch
verschlimmern und neue Staaten dazu einladen wird, Walfangaktivitäten wieder aufzunehmen.
Während die Regierungen auf eine Lösung des Walfangkonfliktes mit Japan bedacht sind, werden die
andauernden, völlig außer Kontrolle geratenen, kommerziellen Walfangaktivitäten Norwegens und
Island außer Acht gelassen – mit fatalen Folgen, was die stetige Erhöhung der selbst auferlegten
Fangquoten deutlich zeigt.
Das Treffen fand unter Ausschluss der Medien und einige Sitzungen auch unter Ausschluss von
Beobachtern statt, was den IWC-Mitgliedsstaaten heftige Kritik von Seiten der Walschützer
entgegenbrachte.
“Diese Geheimniskrämerei spricht deutlich für den Fakt, dass viele der Delegierten offensichtlich
beschämt darüber sind, für etwas einzutreten, das von der eigenen Bevölkerung verachtet und strikt
abgelehnt wird“, erklärt Sue Fisher, Leiterin der Anti-Walfangkampagne der WDCS.
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 8
Intensiv wurde auch die Zunahme des Handels mit Walprodukten seitens der Walfangstaaten trotz
bestehendem Handelsverbot durch das Washingtoner Artenschutzübereinkommen diskutiert.
Zahlreiche NGOs unterzeichneten einen Appell der WDCS an die IWC-Mitgliedsstaaten, in dem diese
aufgefordert werden, die Verhandlungen mit Walfangstaaten einzustellen, solange diese das
Handelsverbot mit Walprodukten nicht anerkennen und einhalten. Die Zunahme des Handels mit
Walprodukten sei eine Untergrabung internationaler Beschlüsse und führe zu einem Anstieg illegaler
Walfangaktivitäten und einer weiteren Destabilisierung der IWC selbst.
Nicolas Entrup, Sprecher der WDCS, zieht Bilanz: “Regierungen sind es ihren Bürgern schuldig, ihre
Position und Aktivitäten transparent zu kommunizieren. Und eines ist sicher: Die breite Mehrheit der
Öffentlichkeit weltweit möchte ein Ende des kommerziellen Walfangs und eine bessere Zukunft für die
weltweiten Walbestände sehen.“
+
Koreanischer Walfang
In Korea begann eine ernsthafte Bejagung erst vor ungefähr einem Jahrhundert, als russische Fischer
ein Camp am Hafen von Ulsan aufschlugen – ein Symbol wiedererlangter Lebenskraft unter der
Besatzung durch die Japaner. Nach dem Russisch-Japanischen Krieg (1904 – 1905) besetzte Japan
Korea und begann, die lokale Walfang-Industrie an sich zu reißen - während dieser Zeit wurde der
Aktionsradius der russischen Walfangaktivitäten erheblich erweitert. Um 1912 unterhielt Korea eine
Flotte, deren Schiffseigner größtenteils aus dem Ausland kamen. Der Großteil der Crew bestand aus
Norwegern, die die Wale auf Provision erlegten. Der größte Teil des Walfleisches wurde nach Japan
verkauft. Nachdem Korea im Anschluss an die japanische Niederlage im II. Weltkrieg seine
Unabhängigkeit wieder erlangt hatte, nahm das Land die Walfangaktivitäten komplett in die eigene
Hand. Dem ersten Nachkriegsfang fiel ein Orca zum Opfer – harpuniert am 16. April 1945 von einem
umgebauten, hölzernen Fischerboot aus. In den 1960ern und -70ern wurden die hölzernen
Walfangboote dann von modernen Stahlschiffen abgelöst und die Fangzahlen stiegen erheblich an.
Korea akzeptierte zwar das Walfangmoratorium von 1986, versuchte jedoch anfänglich, das
Schlupfloch des “wissenschaftlichen Walfangs” für sich auszunutzen und tötete im selben Jahr 69
Wale im Japanischen Meer. Walfleisch ist in Südkorea immer noch erhältlich – es stammt aus
Beifängen der Fischerei-Aktivitäten. Betroffen davon sind jährlich etwa 125, vorwiegend Nördliche
Zwergwale des besonders stark gefährdeten J-Bestandes. Dieser würde alleine auf Grund der hohen
Beifangrate mittelfristig aussterben, bestätigen Wissenschaftler.
http://schattenblick.org/infopool/umwelt/artensch/uarsa270.html
Gesellschaft zum Schutz der Meeressäugetiere e.V. (GSM) - Dienstag, 23. Juni 2009
Wale weiterhin bedroht
Die 61. Tagung der Internationalen Walfang-Kommission tagt auf Madeira
… Alaska, Russland und die Karibikinsel St. Vincent betreiben indigenen Walfang, unbehelligt von der
Tatsache, dass so manch ein Walfang kommerziellen Beigeschmack hat. Last but not least gibt es in
Korea bedenklich hohe Beifänge von etwa 100 Zwergwalen pro Jahr, die geeignet sind, einen
kommerziellen Walfang zu ersetzen. Dazu kommen Hunderte von Kleinwalen.
So denkt man in Korea auch schon öffentlich darüber nach, ob und wie man sich wieder offiziell in
Japans Kielwasser begeben kann. Mit anderen Worten: Wenn Japan mit einer akzeptierten Quote für
den Küstenwalfang im nördlichen Pazifik durchkommt, will auch Korea wieder offizielle zu den
Harpunen greifen.
Obwohl sich alle inzwischen 84 Länder in der IWC einig sind, dass es so nicht weitergehen kann,
obwohl es immer wieder Bestrebungen gibt, den Walfang wieder unter die Kontrolle der IWC zu
bekommen, wird sich für die Wale auch bei der 61. Tagung kaum etwas ändern. Man kann allenfalls
auf die Zukunft hoffen. Die Bestrebungen sind da, und Verhandlungen für "die Zukunft der IWC"
haben begonnen. Noch weiß niemand, wie sich die Parteien zwischen Walfang und -Schutz einigen
können. Nur so viel scheint klar, ganz ohne Opfer bei den Walen würde es nicht gehen. Das aber
wollen - und dürfen - die Länder, die sich den Schutz der bedrohten Meeressäuger auf die Fahnen
geschrieben haben, weder akzeptieren, noch riskieren.
Man sollte denken, dass weniger getötete Wale schon ein kleiner Fortschritt wäre? Falsch gedacht.
Die Walfang-Länder wollen ja nicht einmal akzeptieren, dass Wale, die im Beifang der Fischerei
umkommen oder durch Unfälle mit der Schifffahrt von einer eventuellen Fangquote abgezogen
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 9
werden müssten, geschweige denn, Fänge im Namen von Wissenschaft und Forschung. Tot ist tot,
sollte man meinen.
Um einen Weg aus der Klemme zu suchen, hat sich die IWC vorgenommen, ein Paket mit
Bedingungen zu schnüren. Was in dem Paket drin sein wird, wie Wal-Schutzgebiete, indigener und
Küsten-Walfang (statt kommerziellem Walfang?), Umweltfaktoren, wie durch den Klimawandel
und/oder Verschmutzung und Verlärmung, Schifffahrt, Tourismus und Forschung, Beifang etc. wird
sich hoffentlich bald zeigen.
http://www.greenpeace.at/2070.html
Greenpeace-Erfolg: Korea stoppt Bau der Walfleisch-Fabrik
Südkorea setzt vor IWC-Konferenz Signale gegen die Rückkehr zum Walfang
Ulsan/Wien. – Zum Auftakt der diesjährigen Tagung der Internationalen Walfang-Kommission (IWC)
kann Greenpeace nach zwei Monaten friedlichen Protests einen Erfolg verbuchen: Die koreanische
Tageszeitung "Hankyoreh" veröffentlichte die offiziell noch unbestätigte Entscheidung der
südkoreanische Regierung, den Bau einer neuen Walfleisch-Fabrik aufzugeben.
Vom 20. - 24. Juni findet im südkoreanischen Ulsan die Tagung der Internationalen WalfangKommission (IWC) statt. Am diesjährigen Konferenzort ist die Walfang-Debatte derzeit stark
angeheizt. Greenpeace-Aktivisten aus dreizehn Ländern, so auch aus Österreich und der
koreanischen Umweltschutzorganisation KFEM, halten seit Anfang April ein Gelände im Hafen von
Ulsan besetzt, um gegen den Bau der Walfleischfabrik zu protestieren. Seit zweieinhalb Monaten
fordern sie, den Plan zum Bau der Fabrik einzustellen. Greenpeace befürchtete, dass die
südkoreanische Regierung in eine neue Fleisch-Fabrik investiert, um – der Taktik Japans folgend – in
den "wissenschaftlichen" Walfang einzusteigen.
"Mit der Entscheidung gegen den Bau einer Walfleischfabrik signalisiert die koreanische Regierung,
dass sie den Walfang nicht unterstützt", kommentiert Antje Helms, Greenpeace-Meeresbiologin den
Erfolg der Umweltorganisation. "Wir hoffen, dass diese wichtige Entscheidung sich auch in der IWC
niederschlägt und Korea nächste Woche für den Walschutz und gegen die Wiedereinführung des
kommerziellen Walfangs abstimmen wird", so Helms.
Die Regierung Südkoreas erlaubt derzeit den nationalen Handel mit dem Fleisch von Walen und
Delfinen, die "zufällig" als so genannter Beifang in Fischernetzen verendeten. Vieles deutet aber
darauf hin, dass Wale gezielt gefangen werden. Laut offiziellen Statistiken verendeten allein 2003
neben etlichen Delfinen 84 große Wale in den Fischernetzen. Es ist kein Zufall, dass der
versehentliche Beifang in Korea hundertmal höher ist als in jenen Ländern, die nicht mit Walfleisch
handeln. Ulsan war vor dem Verbot des kommerziellen Walfangs das Herz der südkoreanischen
Walfangindustrie. Davon zeugen noch etliche Walfleisch-Restaurants. Der nationale Handel mit
Walfleisch ist lukrativ: In Korea wurden für einen Wal im Jahr 2004 100.000 Dollar bezahlt.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen belegen, das sämtliche Wal-Arten in südkoreanischen Gewässern
stark bedroht sind: Neben den Fischerei-"Beifang" sind sie vor allem durch Überfischung und die
Anreicherung von Umweltgiften im Meerwasser gefährdet.
http://www.walschutzaktionen.de/238801/30847.html
Protestaktion Südkorea 2005
Mit einem 134 Meter langen Transparent, welches Andreas Morlok zusammen mit 1000 Schülern
herstellte, demonstrierte er gegen den Walfang und machte auf die vielen Gefahren, welche die
Meeressäuger bedrohen, aufmerksam.
Tagungsort der Internationalen-Walfang-Kommission (IWC) war die südkoreanische Stadt Ulsan.
Aktivisten der koreanischen Tier- und Umweltschutz-Organisation KFEM demonstrierten lautstark
gegen den Walfang. Andreas Morlok war der einzige nichtasiatische Demonstrant bei dieser IWCTagung. Bei Medienvertreter aus aller Welt konnte er Interviews führen. Auch konnte er in mehreren
japanischen TV-Beiträgen über die Dioxinbelastung bei Delfin- und Walfleisch aufklären und somit
einen wichtigen Beitrag dazu leisten, dass die Nachfrage nach dieser "Spezialität" in Japan rückläufig
ist. Motto: wenn keiner mehr Walfleisch isst, warum sollte man dann noch Wale fangen? (
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 10
(Nachtrag Oktober 2007: Nur 5 % der japanischen Bevölkerung isst überhaupt noch Walfleisch. Japan
sitzt mittlerweile auf einem Walfleischberg von mehreren Tausend Tonnen! Die Preise sind gesunken.
Einige Supermärkte haben Walfleischprodukten aus ihren Regalen genommen. Oftmals wird das
ehemals so teure Walfleisch nun als Hundefutter angeboten. Man verteilt das Walfleisch gar an
Altersheime.)
Völlig sprachlos war Andreas Morlok beim Anblick dieses Restaurants in Südkorea. Auf der
Speisekarte: Delfinfleisch
http://www.netzeitung.de/wissenschaft/644170.html berichtet:
Mit Ausnahme-Regelungen wird einigen Ländern und Völkern die Jagd auf Wale erlaubt. Doch auch
Tiere, die als Beifang in Netzen landen, werden vermarktet.
Südkoreanische Fischer machen nach Ansicht eines internationalen Forscherteams illegal Jagd auf
Wale. Die Wissenschaftler stützen ihre Vorwürfe auf Gentests bei Walfleisch von südkoreanischen
Märkten, wie das britische Magazin «New Scientist» berichtet.
Den Gentests zufolge wurden von südkoreanischen Fischern zwischen 1999 und 2003 fast doppelt so
viele Zwergwale getötet wie an die Regierung gemeldet. Die Forscher um Scott Baker von der Oregon
State University in Newport, USA, kommen auf 827 Tiere. Gemeldet worden seien aber nur 458.
«Wir nehmen an, dass es sich tatsächlich um eine Form von unreguliertem kommerziellen Walfang
handelt», sagte Baker dem «New Scientist». Die vom Fachjournal «Molecular Ecology» veröffentlichte
Analyse wurde vom Internationalen Tierschutzfonds (IFAW) und der Umweltorganisation Greenpeace
unterstützt.
Da ein einzelner Zwergwal (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) bis zu 75.000 Euro einbringen könne, sei die
Versuchung für Fischer groß, die Meeressäuger absichtlich in die Netze zu locken, meinen die
Forscher. Das könne die Zwergwalpopulation im japanischen Meer bedrohen.
Südkorea darf Walfleisch legal verkauft werden, wenn die Tiere als so genannter Beifang in die
Fischnetze gehen und ertrinken. Wal-Beifang muss aber an die Regierung gemeldet werden.
Das Moratorium der Internationalen Walfangkommission IWC verbietet seit 1986 jede kommerzielle
Jagd auf Wale. Island und Norwegen fühlen sich allerdings wegen eines formellen Einspruchs nicht an
das Moratorium gebunden. Japan jagt zudem Wale zu angeblich wissenschaftlichen Zwecken. Die
Walfangkommission tagt Ende Mai im US-amerikanischen Anchorage. (dpa)
Anmerkung:
Was schon lange vermutet wurde, ist jetzt bestätigt worden. In Südkorea fängt man, obwohl das Land
das Walfang-Moratorium längst unterschrieben hat, immer noch Wale. Alleine in Ulsan zählte Andreas
Morlok 20 Restaurants, die auf ihrer Speisekarte Walfleisch anboten. Zwischen den Restaurants gibt
es eine Freifläche, auf dem die "zufällig" gefangenen Wale (meist in der Nacht) zerlegt werden. 2005
präsentierte sich Ulsan bei der Tagung der IWC als sehr walfreundlich. Zum selben Zeitpunkt wurden
von Aktivisten "Greenpeace-International" genau gegenüber der Wal-Fleisch-Restaurants ein Gelände
besetzt gehalten, auf dem die Stadt eine neue Walfleisch-Fabrik bauen wollte. Auf den Märkten wurde
Walfleisch für teures Geld (130 €/per Kilogramm) angeboten. Hier stehen reine kommerzielle
Interessen im Vordergrund. Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass die IWC diesen illegalen Walfang nun endlich
unterbindet.
Das letzte offizielle Walfangschiff der Koreaner. Es liegt vor einem Walmuseum der Stadt Ulsan auf
Land und wurde stillgelegt...inoffiziell geht der Walfang jedoch weiter....
Wieviele Wale mussten durch diese südkoreanische Harpune schon sterben?
Walfleisch auf einem Markt in Ulsan.
Die Verkäuferin im Hintergrund lachte nur, als Andreas Morlok erfahren wollte, woher das Walfleisch
stamme...
Das Schild über dem Verkaufsstand: "Original koreanisches Walfleisch"
...und noch etwas zum südkoreanischen Umgang mit Tieren ...
In diesem Restaurant steht auf der Speisekarte: HUND...
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 11
...diese eingefärbten Küken werden auf der Straße für wenig Geld verkauft. Man kauft ein einzelnes
junges Tier, wünscht sich etwas und lässt es einfach laufen - oder Kinder bekommen sie als
Spielzeug. Kopfschüttelnd lief Andreas Morlok von dannen, mit dem Wissen, dass es den jungen
männlichen Küken in Deutschland auch nicht besser geht. Man wirft die meisten von ihnen lebendig in
einen Schredder.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/thema/Walfangkommission
Walfangkommission
Artenschutz
Nach dem Whale-Watching ein Wal-Steak
18.03.2010 - Die Internationale Walfangkommission denkt darüber nach, das seit 1986 geltende
Fangverbot auszusetzen.
Illegaler Handel
Wal-Sushi
14.04.2010 - Japan fängt jedes Jahr etwa 1000 Wale - angeblich zu Forschungszwecken. Wie gerät
Walfleisch dann in Restaurants in Kalifornien und Korea?
Internationale Walfangkommission
Walfangverbot in Gefahr
23.04.2010 - Die Internationale Walfangkommission will den Walfang zu kommerziellen Zwecken
zulassen - unter strengen Bedingungen. Weder Walfänger noch ihre Gegner sind von dem Vorschlag
begeistert.
Walfangkommission
Japan droht mit Ausstieg aus IWC
01.06.2007 - Die Walfangkommission hat auf ihrer Jahrestagung das Verbot des kommerziellen
Walfangs bestätigt. Weil sie mit einem Kompromiss-Vorschlag gescheitert sind, erwägen die Japaner,
die Organisation zu verlassen.
Walfangkommission
Japans Kompromissvorschlag "ist eine Provokation"
29.05.2007 - Japan droht mit Ausstieg aus der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC): Auf der
Jahresversammlung der IWC in Anchorage in Alaska hat der japanische Delegierte Joji Morishita
einen Kompromiss...
Bedrohte Tiere
Artenschutz kontra Esskultur
13.03.2010 - ...Wasser auszuweisen, kommt nur mühsam voran. Immerhin ist es gelungen, auf den
Konferenzen der Internationalen Walfangkommission ein nur von wenigen Ländern durchbrochenes
Moratorium durchzusetzen, das einigen, unmittelbar vom Aussterben...
Konferenz scheitert
Walfang wie gehabt
26.06.2009 - Ohne Ergebnis und früher als geplant ist die Walfangkommission auseinandergegangen.
Man wolle sich erst klar werden, welche Aufgaben man habe, hieß es.
Walfang
Nicht Fisch, nicht Fleisch
22.06.2009 - ...den Fern-Walfang in antarktischen Gewässern und im Nordpazifik aufgeben, dafür
billigt die Internationale Walfangkommission IWC Japan Küstenwalfang im beschränktem Umfang zu.
Obwohl Japan und Australien diesen Handel zunächst öffentlich...
IWC-Jahrestagung
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 12
Japan stellt erneut Walfangverbot in Frage
23.06.2008 - Es ist bereits die 60. Jahrestagung der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC), auf
der die Mitgliedsstaaten von diesem Montag an in der chilenischen Hauptstadt Santiago über die
Zukunft des Schutzes...
Sanfter Walbeobachtungstourismus
Zu Gast bei den Tümmlern
30.08.2008 - ...freiwillig. Nach neuesten Zahlen der IWC Vessel Strike Data Standardisation Group,
die für die Internationale Walfangkommission Unfälle zwischen Walen und Booten dokumentiert,
kommt es allein in der kanarischen Region zu durchschnittlich...
Moratorium auf der Kippe
Walfangverbot wackelt
19.06.2006 - Die Walfangnationen um Japan und Norwegen wollen die Jagd auf Meeressäuger
wieder kommerzialisieren womöglich erfolgreich. Denn eine Machtverschiebung in der Internationalen
Walfangkommission beschert den Befürwortern nun eine knappe Mehrheit.
Trotz Moratorium
Island jagt wieder Wale
18.10.2006 - ...wissenschaftlichen Zwecken 161 Zwergwale getötet. Neuseeland, wie Island eines der
71 Mitgliedsländer der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC), hat die Entscheidung Islands
verurteilt. Umweltminister Chris Carter stellte die isländische Begründung...
Walfang-Konferenz tagt
Die Qual der Wale
26.05.2007 - ...Pfingstmontag beginnt im hohen Norden der USA, in Anchorage in Bundesstaat
Alaska, die Jahrestagung der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC). Dort entscheiden 76
Mitgliedsstaaten über die Zukunft der Meeressäuger. Sie ist höchst unsicher...
Nach 115 Jahren erlegt
Der Wal-Opa
14.06.2007 - ...spezialisiert hat. Die Inuit stammen aus einem der zehn Dörfer in Alaska, die mit
Sondererlaubnis der internationalen Walfangkommission zur Nahrungssicherung eine bestimmte
Quote der stark bedrohten Meeressäuger jagen dürfen. Grönlandwale (Balaena...
Australien protestiert gegen Walfang in Japan
"Emotionale Propaganda"
07.02.2008 - ...Lindemann bei einem Besuch in Neuseeland. Japan schickt jährlich, trotz eines
Moratoriums der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC), das seit 1986 in Kraft ist, eine
Walfangflotte in den Südpazifik. Australien will die Gewässer nahe...
Walfang
Ende der Saison
28.02.2007 - ...werden. Insgesamt wurde für dieses Jahr eine Walfangquote von 945 Meeressäugern
angestrebt. Die Internationale Walfangkommission hat die Waljagd bereits seit 1986 verboten. Japan
betreibt seine Fangaktivitäten offiziell aus ,,wissenschaftlichen...
Walfang
Norweger starten wieder umstrittene Jagd auf Wale
30.03.2007 - ...mit dem starken Vorkommen der Art im Nordatlanik begründet. Bei der nächsten
Jahrestagung der internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC) im Mai in Alaska wird erwartet, dass
erneut über eine begrenzte Wiederzulassung kommerzieller Fänge...
Walfang
Japan tötet wieder Buckelwale
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 13
19.11.2007 - ...Zwergwale töten. Es handelt sich um das größte Jagdprogramm seit Beginn der
Schutzmaßnahmen der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC). Der für den Walfang zuständige
Abteilungsleiter bei der japanischen Fischereibehörde, Hideki Moronuki...
Artenschutz
Walfälschung
14.06.2005 - ...Fangstatistiken dürften die Diskussion um die Aufhebung des Fangverbotes beim
diesjährigen Treffen der Internationalen Walfangkommission (IWC) anheizen. Walfangländer und
Walfanggegner kommen vom 20. bis 24. Juni im südkoreanischen Ulsan zusammen...
Artenschutz
Waljäger auf Stimmenfang
19.07.2004 - ...in der vergangenen Woche folgten Belgien und Mauretanien. Über mangelnden Zulauf
kann sich die Internationale Walfangkommission (IWC) also derzeit nicht beschweren. Damit ist die
Zahl der Länder, die sich der Internationalen Konvention...
Grönland
Die Freuden des Eises
26.09.2005 - ...Grönland noch Zwerg- und Finnwale schlachten zum Eigenbedarf. Die Fangquote lässt
Grönland von der Internationalen Walfangkommission festsetzen im Gegensatz zu Norwegen, das das
Internationale Walfangverbot für sich als nicht bindend erachtet...
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/400/508544/text/
Illegaler Handel
Wal-Sushi
14.04.2010
Von Katrin Blawat
Japan fängt jedes Jahr etwa 1000 Wale - angeblich zu Forschungszwecken. Wie gerät Walfleisch
dann in Restaurants in Kalifornien und Korea?
Ein Seiwal. Angeblich werden die Tiere von Japan nur zu Forschungszwecken gefangen. Foto: NOAA
85 Dollar mussten die beiden Frauen für ihr Mittagessen im Restaurant "The Hump" in Los Angeles
bezahlen. Auf der Rechnung standen Gerichte mit rohem Pferde- und Walfleisch. Seit 24 Jahren ist
die kommerzielle Waljagd verboten.
Wie also gelangte das Walfleisch im Oktober vergangenen Jahres auf die Speisekarte eines
kalifornischen Restaurants? Die beiden Frauen, die diese Frage klären wollten, waren Mitglieder der
Crew, die den Dokumentarfilm "Die Bucht" gedreht hat. Der Film prangert die blutige Jagd auf
Delphine an.
Die Frauen packten heimlich kleine Stückchen des servierten Fleisches ein und schickten sie an Scott
Baker, Vize-Direktor des Instituts für Meeressäugetiere an der Oregon State University. Baker stellte
zum einen fest, dass das angebliche Pferdefleisch von einem Rind stammte.
Doch brisanter waren Bakers übrige Untersuchungsergebnisse: Das Walfleisch stamme von einem
Seiwal, der vermutlich im Rahmen des japanischen Walforschungsprogramms gefangen worden sei,
berichtet Baker im Fachblatt Biology Letters (online). Seit mehr als einem Jahrzehnt hat er sich darauf
spezialisiert, mittels DNS-Tests die Herkunft von Walfleisch zu bestimmen.
Wie gelangte Walfleisch auf die Speisekarte dieses kalifornischen Restaurants? Foto: Getty Images
Dazu vergleicht er Erbgut-Abschnitte aus dem Fleisch, das in Restaurants serviert wird, mit Daten, die
japanische Walfänger - oder, wie die Japaner sagen, Walforscher - veröffentlicht haben.
Japan fängt jedes Jahr etwa 1000 Wale - ausschließlich zu Forschungszwecken, wie das Land
versichert. Die jüngst untersuchten Walfleisch-Proben stammten vermutlich aus einer Population, die
Japan 2007 und 2008 bejagte, schreibt Baker. Außerdem untersuchte er weitere Walfleisch-Stücke,
die 2009 in einem Restaurant in Seoul serviert wurden.
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 14
Ein Teil dieses Fleisches stamme wahrscheinlich von einem Finnwal, von dem Teile bereits zwei
Jahre zuvor in Japan auf dem Markt gekommen waren. "Wenn Produkte desselben Wals 2007 in
Japan und 2009 in Korea verkauft werden, zeigt dies, dass der internationale Handel mit Walfleisch
noch immer ein Thema ist", sagt Baker.
Hinweise auf illegalen Handel mit Walfleisch in Japan haben Forscher schon in der Vergangenheit
erhalten. So fanden die Wissenschaftler vor einigen Jahren auf einem japanischen Markt Fleisch von
einem Buckelwal, der nur vor der Küste Mexikos heimisch ist. "Wie gelangt ein mexikanischer Wal auf
einen japanischen Markt?" fragte damals Bakers Kollegin Gina Lento. "Wir haben keinerlei Hinweise,
dass mexikanische Wale nach Japan migrieren."
Das Restaurant "The Hump" in Los Angeles, einst berühmt für seine ungewöhnlichen Kreationen, hat
inzwischen geschlossen. Damit wolle es, so heißt es auf der Homepage, "Aufmerksamkeit wecken für
den Schaden, der illegaler Walfang für den Erhalt des Ökosystems Meer und für seine Bewohner hat".
http://www.wspa.de/latestnews/2009/IWC2009_1.aspx
Welttierschutzgesellschaft
Deutliches Nein zum Küstenwalfang-Abkommen
Jun 18, 2009
Ein Abkommen zum Küstenwalfang in Japan würde deutlich mehr Walen jährlich das Leben kosten.
© Jonas Fr. Thorsteinsson
Mehr als 67.600 Menschen aus über 63 Ländern haben die WSPA-Petition No Deal On Cruelty bisher
unterzeichnet. Sie wurde beim 61. Treffen der International Whaling Commission (IWC) präsentiert. Ihr
Ziel: Die IWC dabei zu stoppen, den Küstenwalfang in Japan zu unterstützen.
Mitglieder des Whalewatch-Netzwerks sind unterdessen dabei, die Petition den Regierungen der IWCMitgliederstaaten vorzustellen. Diese werden letztendlich darüber entscheiden, ob Japan eine
Wiederaufnahme des Küstenwalfangs gewährt wird. Über 750 Zwergwale wären von dieser neuen
Regelung in den kommenden 5 Jahren bedroht.
Das Abkommen wird von der IWC als Ausgleich-Handel betrachtet, der Japan dazu bringen soll, den
Walfang im Rahmen des so genannten „wissenschaftlichen Walfangs“ – der allzu oft für zweifelhaft
herangezogen wird – zu reduzieren. Nächste Woche wird bei der Versammlung der IWC über das
Küstenwalfang-Abkommen abgestimmt.
Gefährlicher Präzedenzfall
Trotz des Abkommens ist Japan nicht verpflichtet, die Fänge zu reduzieren. Bisher war die Rede
davon, den Walfang lediglich um 29 Tiere zu reduzieren. Korea hat bereits deutlich gemacht,
dieselben Zugeständnisse wie Japan einzufordern, würde dem Land der Walfang in Küstengebieten
erlaubt – eine unvermeidbare Folge des Abkommens, die zu einer noch größeren Bedrohung der
Wale an den Küsten führen wird.
„Millionen Menschen weltweit sind dafür, diese grausame und unnötige Praxis endlich zu stoppen –
dennoch beschäftigt sich die IWC mit diesem fragwürdigen Abkommen, das das Walfangverbot
offensiv unterwandert“, so Claire Bass, Leiterin der Meeressäugetierprogramme der WSPA. „Die IWC
bewegt sich auf sehr dünnem Eis, denn ein solches Abkommen wäre ein gefährlicher Präzedenzfall,
der den Weg für die weltweite Wiederaufnahme des Walfangs in Küstengebieten frei machen würde“,
so die Tierschützerin weiter.
Seit das Moratorium gilt, haben Walfangnationen über 1.700 Wale getötet – was deutlich macht, wie
sehr der Einsatz für die Wale hinter dem kommerziellen Gewinn zurücksteht. Die WSPA glaubt, dass
eine Fortführung der Verhandlungen mit Japan im Zuge des zweifelhaften Ausgleich-Handels eine
Zeit- und Ressourcenverschwendung für die IWC wäre.
Fragliche Zukunft der IWC
Eine wachsende Industrie: Whale-Watching gewährleistet den Erhalt lokaler Lebensgrundlagen und
ist mit dem Tierschutz vereinbar.
© WSPA
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 15
Alle Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NGO), die sich für Wale einsetzen, sind sich einig: Die IWC
scheint die Zukunft des Walschutzes völlig aus den Augen verloren zu haben. Obwohl insgesamt nur
drei Länder den kommerziellen Walfang betreiben wollen, ist die „Zukunftsinitiative des IWC“, in deren
Rahmen auch der Entwurf des Japan-Abkommens entstanden ist, nahezu ausschließlich auf die
Forderungen dieser drei Länder ausgerichtet. Dabei gerät das Whale-Watching, das in mehr als der
Hälfte der Mitgliedsstaaten des IWC jährlich 1,25 Milliarden Dollar bringt, völlig ins Hintertreffen. Auch
anderen wichtigen Aufgaben schenkt die „Zukunftsinitiative des IWC“ nur wenig Beachtung: Der
Schutz der Wale vor zunehmend starken Gefahren wie Klimawandel, Umweltverschmutzung,
Zusammenstößen mit Schiffen und „Beifang“ in Fischernetzen wird stark vernachlässigt.
Claire Bass findet klare Worte: „Es wird immer deutlicher, dass der Kampf gegen kommerziellen
Walfang innerhalb der Walfangnationen ausgetragen und gewonnen werden muss, und nicht
innerhalb der IWC."
http://world.kbs.co.kr/german/news/news_zoom_detail.htm?No=5338
Waltourismus
2009-12-22
Der Hafen Jangsaeng in Ulsan entwickelt sich zu einem beliebten Ort für Waltouristen. Der Hafen gilt
als Wiege der koreanischen Walindustrie und beherbergt ein Walmuseum sowie das neu eröffnete
Zentrum für Walökologie. Auch kann von dort aus zu einer Walbesichtigungstour aufgebrochen
werden. Der Hafen vollzieht die Verwandlung von einem Zentrum für Walfang zum Zentrum für
Waltourismus.
Ulsan und Wale
Ulsan ist die Heimat der koreanischen Walindustrie. Die Stadt stand an der Spitze der koreanischen
Walfangindustrie, seit dort 1899 am Hafen von Jangsaeng Koreas erste Walfangstation eröffnete.
Doch das Jahr 1899 markiert nur den Beginn der jüngeren Geschichte der Waljagd in Korea. Die
Geschichte des Walfangs in Ulsan reicht viel weiter zurück. Darauf deuten Wandmalereien am alten
Felsen Bangudae hin. Der Felsen ist der Nationalschatz Nr. 285. Darauf sind rund 290 verschiedene
Szenen abgebildet, 58 davon handeln vom Walfang. Die Zeichnungen sind so detailliert, dass der
Betrachter mit bloßem Auge die unterschiedlichen Walarten ausmachen kann. Auch geht aus den
Zeichnungen hervor, auf welche Weise die Vorfahren Wale fingen. Damit besteht kein Zweifel daran,
dass Ulsan bereits seit rund 4.000 Jahren das Zentrum des Walfangs war. Auch konnten die seltenen
Grauwale vor dem Hafen Jangsaeng gesichtet werden. Dies veranlasste die Regierung im Jahr 1962,
den Ort zum Naturdenkmal Nr. 126 zu bestimmen.
Walfangindustrie
Wale sind im Meer lebende Säugetiere, und können auf vielfältige Weise verwertet werden. Vor allem
das Fleisch und Fett bringen den Jägern hohe Profite. Doch sind Wale vom Aussterben bedroht.
Aufgrund ihrer sehr geringen Geburtenrate kann eine übermäßige Jagd auf Wale zu ihrer Ausrottung
führen. Aus diesem Grund fordern Tier- und Umweltschützer einen Stopp des Walfangs. Die
Internationale Walfangkommission wacht darüber, dass gefährdete Populationen nicht durch Walfang
ausgerottet werden.
Waltourismus
Wale müssen nicht unbedingt gefangen werden, um Profite zu ermöglichen. Stattdessen entwickelte
sich der Waltourismus zu einer neuen Einkommensquelle in Ulsan. Die Großstadt kann mit dem
Schnellzug KTX erreicht werden und daher konnten attraktive Angebote für Touristen entwickelt
werden. Seit November besteht mit dem Zentrum für Walökologie eine weitere Touristenattraktion. Die
Besichtigungstour auf dem Meer wird seit Juli angeboten. Das Ministerium für Wissen und Wirtschaft
erklärte den Hafen von Jangsaeng zur Sonderzone für Wale. Der Bezirk Nam-gu in Ulsan will bis 2014
14 Projekte zum Waltourismus abschließen. Unter anderem sollen eine Walstraße und ein
Delphinzentrum entstehen.
+
Südkorea unterstützt kommerziellen Walfang
erstellt : 2009-04-28 09:43:30
Südkoreas Regierung hat ihre Untersützung für den kommerziellen Walfang ausgesprochen.
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 16
Nach Angaben des Ministeriums für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft, Forstwesen und Fischerei sei die
Position in der letzten Woche auf einer internationalen Konferenz in Tokio dargelegt worden. Auf der
Konferenz hatten 32 Staaten einer Nutzung von Walen als natürliche Ressource zugestimmt.
Die Teilnehmer hätten sich darauf verständigt, erschöpfte Ressourcen zu schützen, Wale seien davon
aber ausgenommen.
Zwar sei unter dem südkoreanischen Gesetz der Walfang zurzeit verboten, das Ministerium wolle
jedoch bei der Internationalen Walfangkommission beantragen, entsprechende Aktivitäten in seinem
Gewässer wieder aufnehmen zu dürfen. Zuvor sollten Untersuchungen zu Walen vor Koreas Küste
durchgeführt werden.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/04/162_29813.html
Ulsan, Whaling City
By Choe Chong-dae, 08-22-2008
I recently returned from a summer vacation at a small fishing village in Ulsan where I tasted with relish
whale meat, with its unique aroma.
This special dish was served appropriately at a picturesque restaurant by the bay. For the record,
whale hunting is banned in Ulsan these days and the sale of whale meat is restricted in Korea to
whales that are already dead when they are found, or to whales which have been accidentally snared
in a fisherman's net.
The foreign name of ``Liancourt Rocks'' has been used to refer to Dokdo, Korean's eastern-most
islets, in some contemporary books and maps. The name is derived from ``Le Liancourt,'' the name of
a French whaling ship which sought out the ocean's gentle leviathans around the Dokdo islets and
around Ulsan Bay in 1849.
From the early 19th century, many Western commercial whaling ships set out on the long but lucrative
voyage across the Pacific Ocean on trips that included the eastern coast of Korea. The substantial
quantity of oil obtained from whale's blubber was utilized for lighting, lubricating and for producing
perfume, cosmetics and margarine. In this sense, whale oil was regarded as gold.
Korea was a whaling nation from ancient times. Koreans began hunting whales as far back as the
Neolithic period in the seas around Ulsan. Modern Ulsan has been developed into Korea's largest
industrial complex, with no trace remaining of these ancient whaling times. Ulsan Bay, located on the
eastern coast of Korea, is a narrow, long trench gifted with deep recesses. From prehistoric times its
interior depths were a well-traveled migratory route and habitat for gray whales. As a result,
Jangsaengpo Port, Ulsan, became a popular outpost for whalers, which made Ulsan a central city for
the international whaling industry.
The relationship between Ulsan and whales dates back to pre-historic times. There is historical
evidence of a whale-hunting civilization in the ancient engraved rock art at Bangudae. The Bangudae
petroglyphs are carved on a rock panel that depicts prehistoric people and about 270 sea creatures,
such as whales and turtles as well as land prey such as tigers and wild boars. The carving features
people on their boat, with large fishing nets, spears and shields. The picture represents a whaling
vessel used to hunt gray whales and sperm whales, and is proof that whaling was done by Korean
people in prehistoric times.
It is estimated that the large number of drawings of whales on the rock panels of Bangudae date back
more than 4,000-5,000 years. The drawings detail precise observations of whales' behavior and 10
species of whales migrating through the sea near Ulsan can be identified in the pictures.
The Bangudae area is known for its tranquility and natural beauty all year around. However, the rocks
on which the petroglyphs are carved are now periodically flooded for many months a year. The
summer rains are welcome in some respects as they fill the nearby Sayeom Dam, but this benefit
comes at the cost of submerging a remarkable prehistoric artwork below water.
I harbor deep and nostalgic feelings for the Bangudae rock art, as my father, a pioneer of Korean
archeology, and I visited the Bangudae site to explore the prehistoric engraved rock art in the late
1960s. Unfortunately, I could not examine the precious rock art as it was covered by the water of the
Sayeom Dam, an artificial lake built to supply water to the nearby Ulsan.
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 17
Subsequently, my father provided Prof. Hwang Soo-yeong, director of Dongguk University's museum
at that time, with important information relating to the Bangudae site. On hearing from my father that
there might be some ancient petroglyphs on rocks at the Bangudae site, Prof. Hwang explored the site
many times with his colleagues. Prof. Hwang's research teams were fortunate to locate the
remarkable engraved rock art in the winter of 1971 when the waters of Sayeom Dam were at such a
low ebb that the rock art could be easily located.
Our ancestors who left us the prehistoric rock engravings and rock art are now recognized as
possessing outstanding technical abilities and a complex culture. This invaluable source of prehistoric
information is not only a precious cultural heritage, but is also notable for the valuable information it
contains about ancient Korea, and also about the history of the international whaling industry.
In particular, the engraved rock art demonstrates to us that life has not changed all that much over
time, as whale hunting was a thriving business in Ulsan up until the early 1980s.
It is my hope that the Ulsan Metropolitan City and the central government will institute a special policy
to better protect and preserve the unique Bangudae site with its ancient petroglyphs, against periodic
flooding, which irrevocably erode and damage this irreplaceable prehistoric legacy to the detriment of
the nation's past, present and future.
The writer is president of Dae-Kwang International Co., and the Korean representative for Compagnie
Cotonniere of Paris, France. He is also a long time director of Korean-Swedish Association. He can be
reached at dkic98@chol.com.
+
04-14-2010 19:19
Whale-Festival Delayed to July
The start of the 15th Ulsan Whale Festival was postponed from April 22 to July 1, the Ulsan city
government said Wednesday.
The delay came as the sinking of the naval ship Cheonan shocked the nation and the organizers
thought the large festival during a national mourning period wouldn't be appropriate.
The organizing committee of the festival planned to expand the use of whale meat by creating dishes
such as whale burgers, whale pizza and whale pasta at the three-day event, which will now end on
July 4.
In Korea, whaling is strictly prohibited and only those that are severely wounded or found
"accidentally" caught in nets or dead on the seashore are permitted for distribution.
http://eastwindupchronicle.com/ulsan-for-you/the-15th-annual-ulsan-whale-festival/
The 15th Annual Ulsan Whale Festival
May 17th, 2009 Shinsano · 5 Comments
The 15th Ulsan Whale Festival is literally being held in my backyard, so on Friday night, a friend of
mine visiting from Seoul and I trekked down to the riverbanks of the Taewha River and took in the
sights. Actually, mostly what we took in was some dong dong ju and pajeon, and then a Korean band
called FT Island that I think Jackson in particular would really enjoy.
I’ve written about Ulsan and its storied whaleing history. Way back when Ulsan was apparently a
center for whale hunting in Korea. In fact, probably the most famous tourist attraction in Ulsan are
some thousands of years old cave paintings made by ancient Koreans, some of which depict whale
hunting. During the festival there have been some performances and hubub at said cave paintings
(find the whale if you can) which I’ve never been to since they’re outside the city and not easy
accessible without a car. (Here’s a Korean news report on the festival.)
Of course there’s an agreed fallacy component to Ulsan’s whale history, since whaling is obviously a
pretty unpopular practice at the moment and Japan takes a lot of heat for it — yet the coast of Ulsan is
dotted with whale meat restaurants. I’ve seen a few in Busan as well. So the story goes the whales
used for meat in Korea have died of natural causes or accidentally turned up in the nets of fishermen.
I actually thought there might be some whale meat on hand at the festival, but I guess the organizers
decided for a family friendly environment, and against flaunting the fact that Ulsanians eat whale meat
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 18
because it’s part of their long history and really don’t give a shit what the world at large has to say
about it.
I have to admit, a big part of the reason I wanted to go was to see FT Island, who are very popular
here and have had a couple number one songs over the past year. I don’t really hate or like the music,
which is sort of like if you took Coldplay, turned up the pomp to 11, put makup on them, and then
dumped a shipping container of syrup on top.
Here’s the band’s biggest hit, “Bad Woman,” which was naturally one of the three songs preformed.
After the band played out came the pre-teens in hot pants. I think everyone liked that quite a bit,
especially the older, druken men in the crowd and the older trot singer, Song Dae-kwan (송대관), who
came out and preformed sang and danced with them. Unfortunately no photos of FT Island or preteens made it into the papers.
There was also a booth for the 45th World Archery Championships, which are happening in Ulsan on
August 19 of this year. I actually got a form letter in English from the mayor of Ulsan about that last
week. You can bet your sweet bippy I’ll be there for that.
http://english.ulsan.go.kr/Community/news/view.php?board_id=foreign_news&page=14&num=722&se
arch_option=&search_cond=&news_lan=english
Youth Arcade
Location : (681-210) Seongnam-dong and its adjacent area, Jung-gu, Ulsan
The Arcade, a street for young people, stretches from Star City through Jungbu fire station to Ujeong
crossroad. The construction of the Youth Arcade began in February 2005 was and completed in July
of the same year with a total investment of 3.1 billion Won. It was built to develop the commercial
district in the center of Junggu, linking with the existing arcade of Jungang commercial district which is
542m long, 8m wide, and 12.9m high.
With the addition of the Youth Arcade, a 724m-long arcade was completed which stretches form
Beonyeongro to Ujeong crossroad, the longest arcade in Korea. Furthermore, the arcade facilities are
both magnificent and sophisticated, and the gorgeous lighting facilities at night make this arcade the
most extraordinary tourist attraction in Ulsan. In addition, the floor of this arcade is decorated with
granite in a neat and tidy way, making the shopping more comfortable. Specifically, this arcade is ideal
for one-stop shopping as many shops such as clothes shops, fast food restaurants, game rooms, beer
houses, and others, have been established here, as well as a large multiplex movie theater which
attracts many young people to hang out in the street along the arcade.
Ujeongmoksal Street
Location : (681-250) Ujeong-dong, Jung-Gu, Ulsan
Going north on the road from Housing & Commercial Bank in Seongnam-dong, you will see many
restaurants specializing in grilled pork shoulder butt.
Since the street was known for its high quality meat at a moderate price, Ulsan citizens loved visiting
Ujeongmoksal Street in the last 20 years. Because of the grand restaurants in Nam-gu and the
difficulties in parking or traveling, the street nowadays is not as thriving as it used to be. However, the
traditional taste of grilled shoulder butt is still the best in Ulsan.
Bulgogi Complex by Taehwa River
Location : (681-320) Taehwa-dong, Jung-Gu, Ulsan
The Bulgogi Complex by the Taehwa River was first formed in the early 1990s. Residents moved from
the Yongyeon region of Nam-gu, and started the bulgogi restaurants. During the height of the
complex, there were as many as 70 restaurants that specialized in bulgogi. The complex was as
famous as the other complexes in Eonyang, Bonggye, and Ipsil. However, the effect of the IMF and
the grand restaurants in Nam-gu caused business to go downhill. The restaurants in the complex,
however, continued to attract customers by giving a 10% discount for group customers, or improving
the quality of their customer service together with diversifying their menus by introducing duck dishes,
Jeju-do local pork dishes, or raw fish dishes. The surrounding area of the complex is equipped with
various exercise and rest facilities, which attract many family-based customers looking for outdoor
picnic locations.
Walfang kor
7. März 2016 19
In the future, the Bulgogi Complex by the Taehwa River will become a famous eatery location in
Ulsan, as the quali
Fashion Street
Location : (681-210) Seongnam-dong, Jung-Gu, Ulsan
Starting with a few stores carrying noted domestic fashion brands during the late 1970s, when the
country's economy was rapidly progressing, there were as many as 40 shops that used to thrive in
Fashion Street. After the economy slid, there are only about 25 shops that are still in business.
However, the shops in Fashion Street still take much pride in leading Ulsan's fashion trends, and are
doing their best to encourage and develop the surrounding markets by founding an organization of the
shops in Fashion Street and hosting various events, like the Fashion Road show and other types of
promotional events.
[The Festival of Ulsan Fashion Street]
? Fashion Street Singin Contest
? Road Fashion Show
? Amazing Hairstyles and Fantasia Makeup Show
? Wedding Show
? Plays, Aerobics
http://whaling.jp/english/isana/no27_03.html
ISANA Jul. 2003 No.27
Whaling in Korea and issues after the moratorium
Chang-Myeng Byen, Chairman, Korea Re-whaling Promotion Forum
1. Whaling culture in Korea
Regarding whaling along the coast of the Korean peninsula, whale bones have been excavated from
the shell heap of Dongsam village in Busan in the New Stone Age. Further, since part of whale bones
excavated from the shell heap of Suga village, Kimhae in Kyeong-nam Province, were observed to
have been burned, it is conjectured that whale meat used to be eaten in those periods. In the rock
engravings of Bankudae of Ulsan (National Treasure No. 285) that date back about 3000, there were
drawings of marine mammals together with those of terrestrial animals such as tiger, wild boar, deer,
dogs and sheep. Of the marine mammals, whales were found in the largest number. According to the
research results later reproduced with computer graphics, it was found that, out of about 220 rock
engravings discovered, 66 were those of marine mammals and 42 were those of whales. This shows
that whales had been closely related to men at that time.
Now Ulsan has developed into a huge industrial complex, with no trace of ancient times. Originally, the
Bay of Ulsan, located on the eastern coast of Korea, is a narrow and long bay with a deep recess. Its
interior part had been known as a migratory route of whales from olden times, linked with the Taehwa
River and the towhead of the estuary. Before the commercial whaling moratorium was enforced,
whaling bases existed in Bang-ojin fishing port at the mouth of the Bay and Jang-seng-po fishing port
inside the bay. Thus the relations of the area with whales have been very close. Bankudae is located a
little over 10 kilometers from the mouth of Taehwa River, and it is considered that the sea had
extended to that point in the olden times. As many as 42 rock drawings of fin whales, gray whales,
sperm whales and killer whales have been found. Some of the gray whales were pregnant with calves.
There are also valuable drawings in which people on board of the whaling boats were harvesting
whales with harpoons and nets. These are valuable cultural heritage notable not only for the Korean
history but also the world whaling history as a whole.
Subsequent introduction and the rise of Buddhism in Korea prevented the development of fisheries.
Historical documents show that king's decrees were issued to prohibit killing of living things in Silla
Kingdom in the year 15 under King Beob-heong (528) and Baekjea Kingdom in the first year under
King Beob (599). Those decrees were applied not only to terrestrial animals but also aquatic animals,
like whales, sea lions and fur seals. Fishing implements were destroyed by burning and fishing
activities were banned. Such decrees first took a deep root in the mind of aristocrats, and practice of
trading and eating those animals went out of existence. Fishermen found no motive for fishing and the
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7. März 2016 20
Buddhist faith was gradually accepted in their lives. By the time ordinary people's religious life was
dominated by the Buddhist thought, killing of animals came to be regarded as a sinful act and fishing
activities as such were abandoned. As a result whaling in Korea also declined. But there remain
historical records that show that even in those periods, stranded or drifted whales were of value as
food for ordinary people and their oil as lamp oil for privileged aristocrats.
Buddhism flourished in Korea until the time the Koryo dynasty ended. The Korea succeeded by
Choseon dynasty (1392) embraced Confucianism. Their policy to belittle fishermen because of
extreme ideology of nobility and humble caused fisheries and whaling in Korea to survive only as
negative and subsidiary means of subsistence. Because of this policy to give a very low esteem to
fishermen, no reports of whale strandings were made to the government as all the profit was
monopolized by the government officials. There are records that drifted whales were pushed back to
the sea as unwanted guests.
2. Advance of whaling by Big Powers to the Korean Peninsula
As the prohibition of killing animals by the Buddhist teaching and the thought to give low regards to
fishermen under the Confucianism lasted more than 10 centuries, the whale stocks around the Korean
Peninsula were kept in its unexploited state, but they were made target of whaling by the Big Powers
of the world since around mid-18th century. The first whaling ships that appeared in the sea
surrounding the Korean Peninsula were American whaling fleets harvesting fin and sperm whales from
around 1848. Historical records show that the crew of American whaling ships sometimes landed on
the Korean Peninsula without permission for procurement of food, water and charcoal, causing
problems with the local residents. Subsequently, as the presence of abundance of whale stocks in the
eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula was known, whaling ships came to the area, one after another,
from Germany, France, Britain and Russia, making the Korean waters a competing ground among the
Big Powers.
The Choseon dynasty then had been taking a policy to close itself to the outside world. These big
powers shook the Korean government and the people at the end of this dynasty, with diplomatic
pressures on the pretext of making lease negotiations to secure whaling bases of their own. The first
lease treaty was concluded under quasi-compulsive pressures from Russia in March 1893, as a result
of which it was decided that Russia would use, as its bases, Ulsan in Kyong-nam Province, Jan-Jeon
in Kangwan Province and Mayang Island in Hamkyeng Province for 20 years. This gave a motive to
British-Russian Whaling Union jointly established by the British and the Russians to launch whaling
using part of Busan and Wonsan as their bases in December 1899, and to Japan to acquire whaling
right within the territorial waters of Korea by obtaining whaling permit in February 1900. The "war" for
whales between Japan and Russia was ended in Japan's favor as a result of Japan's victory in the
Russo-Japan War started in 1904, and the whale resources along the Korean Peninsula came under
Japan's monopoly.
3. Whaling under Japan's occupation
During the Japanese Occupation period which lasted 35 years from 1910 to the end of the World War
II in 1945, Japan's fisheries capital made competitive advance to Korea and spread modern largescale fisheries. Most of the fisheries with high profit and requiring large capital, such as enginepowered trawling, engine-powered purse-seine and large-type fixed net fisheries, and whaling, were
managed by the Japanese. Statistics on whaling at the end of 1942 show that there were 17 whaling
vessels with 242 workforce and harvest value of \1,661,892. Most of the whale meat was shipped to
Japan. About 80% of all the catches were processed at the whaling bases of Jang-seng-po and Bangojin fishing ports in Ulsan on the eastern coast and the remaining 20% were processed at Hoksan
Island in Jeon-nam Province and Oechong Island in Chang-nam Province on the western coast.
Regarding the Japanese whaling vessels which had operated to the end of the war, the U.S. military
authorities declared that all the fishing rights before August 9, 1945, should be made invalid, and all
the vessels and equipment related to such activities should be confiscated. Nevertheless, the
Japanese shipowners returned all the vessels to Japan with their families, furniture and other
properties amid the postwar confusion.
4. Korean War and restoration of whaling
As stated earlier, all the whaling vessels, managed by the Japanese, had been withdrawn to Japan,
and no whaling vessel was left in Korea after liberation. Only whaling bases and experienced whaling
ship crew and flensers were left out. Those people having whaling skills were willing to resume
whaling based on whaling technique they had learned from the Japanese. As a result, they
established "Choseon Whaling Co." in Busan and Ulsan in September 1946, purchased two small
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7. März 2016 21
restructured whaling boats from Japan, and started operation. The catch in the first whaling season
was favorable with 65 fin whales, enabling them to establish their initial business base. Subsequently,
the number of whaling vessels, including small boats, increased to 18 after the establishment of such
companies as Daedong Whaling Co. and Tong-yang Whaling Co. However, after the liberation, they
were unable to export whale meat to Japan, and due to long religious habit of not eating whale meat in
Korea, the prices of whale meat remained low, causing difficulty in maintain the enterprise. The 6.25
Korean War, which erupted on June 25, 1950 by North Korea, was a tragic war for the Korean people.
But, fortunately to the whaling industry, consumption of low-priced and readily available whale meat
increased to solve the issue of protein supply especially to counter the food shortage in the wake of
the inflow of over 3 million refugees southward to small tract of areas in the east side of Nactong river
such as Taegu and Busan. The increase in demand pushed up the price of whale meat, helping the
Korean whaling industry to thrive anew. The normalization of relations between Japan and the
Republic of Korea in 1966 enabled resumption of whale meat exports to Japan, causing whaling to
become a thriving industry. Before the IWC's commercial whaling moratorium came into force in 1985,
a total of 21 whaling vessels (total permitted tonnage: 1,389 tons) caught an average of 625 whales
equivalent to 1,774 tons a year in 1980-1984. The industry earned $3.54 million dollars of foreign
exchange by exporting an annual average of 846 tons of whale meat to Japan during the period.
5. Moratorium and the end to whaling
When, at the 34th annual meeting in 1982, the IWC resolved to prohibit commercial whaling, the
Korea, together with Japan, protested to the IWC's decision but was forced to abandon whaling under
pressures from the United States that "it would reduce to zero the allocation of pollock in the U.S.
waters to any country diminishing the effectiveness of the IWC's regulations." The amount of pollock
the Korean North Pacific trawling vessels had been catching in the Bering Sea for 1981-1985 totaled
296,000 tons on the yearly average, while the catch of whales was 1,774 tons. In a bid to secure
overall fisheries profit, Korea abandoned whaling. Japan lodged a formal objection to the IWC's
decision, paving way for future research whaling and small-type whaling. On the other hand, the
Korean government did not file an objection. Whalers also abandoned their whaling permit, allured by
the compensation for whaling rights and the fund to transfer to other types of fisheries, as proposed by
the government. Later, the government took further unwise measures to delete clauses related to
whaling in the revised Fisheries Law.
6. Efforts to resume whaling and issues surrounding it
Overall prohibition of whaling remains in force for 17 years after the commercial whaling moratorium
was enforced. In the meantime, whale resources along the coast of Korea have increased
dramatically. According to the surveys by the National Fisheries Research & Development Institute, it
is estimated that more than 110,000 heads of 35 species of cetaceans are found migrating in the area.
Those increased cetaceans prey on important fish species harvested by fisheries, such as squid,
saury, mackerel, sardine and pollock. Fishermen are now protesting because their catch is decreasing
because of predation by cetaceans. As evidence of increase of whale population, there are an
increasing number of incidental catches of whales in fishing nets year by year. Within the marine
police district of Pohang on the eastern coast only, the whale incidental catches have been increasing
annually from 45 whales in 1999 to 95 in 2000, 143 in 2001 and 65 as of the end of July 2002. Given
the fact that most of the whales caught incidentally were minke whales, fishermen are demanding for
appropriate culling of whales because of abnormal increase of whale resources affect the fishery
resources and the livelihood of fishermen. They also call for sustainable use of whale resources.
However, the problem here is that, 18 years after the termination of whaling, there remains no single
whaling vessel, and whaling gunners are all in their seventies and no landing stations are left. Further,
there has been no adequate research on whales because of an insufficient number of whale
researchers. In closing, I wish to express my expectation for cooperation from the Japanese people for
the solution of these issues.
Performance at the Ulsan Whale Festival,reproducing ancient whaling in Korea.
Children of Arikawa-cho,Nagasaki Prefecture,making presentation of "Hazashi Daiko" (Hazashi Drum
Performance), a traditional whale-related performing art in japan,at the Ulsan Whale Festival (May
30,2003)
Japanese community participated in the festival from last year. Test eating of whale dishes cooked on
the spot,using whales caught incidentally locally,was popular among visitors.
+
ISANA Dec. 2003 No.28
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7. März 2016 22
Ulsan and Whales
Che-Ik Lee, Chief of Ward Namgu, Ulsan Metropolitan City
To begin with, I would like to express my gratitude for allowing me valuable space in "Isana," an
opinion bulletin on whales. I would like to ask for your generosity in reading the amateurish writing of
an administrative official who has no special knowledge on whales.
I. World's cultural heritage
The name Ulsan immediately calls to the mind of the Koreans the image of whales. The relationship
between Ulsan and whales dates back to pre-historic times more than 4,000 years ago. In the
drawings engraved in the rock at Bangudae, designated as the National Treasure No. 285, we can
see animals such as tigers that lived in many numbers in that period, but most attractive among them
are undoubtedly the schools of whales--which number as many as 60 in the drawings.
What surprises us most after seeing the rock engravings at Bangudae is the large number of drawings
of whales. These drawings are based on precise and objective observations of whale behavior. We
cannot help but admiring the fact that all of more than 10 species of whales migrating in the sea near
Ulsan were drawn.
The shape of a whale's blow differs from species to species. It is said that fin whales that spout in the
V-like form of a fountain were often sighted in the waters near Ulsan's coast. Humpback whales that
have unique wrinkles on the belly are expressed with several long lines on the body. Killer whales with
a clear black-and-white contrast are also engraved faithfully to their markings. Especially the right
whales truly resemble their actual figure with emphasis on the shape of the mouth. Also, a gray whale
swimming with a calf on its back is realistic. The drawings also include sperm and other species.
Our ancestors who left the rock engravings are said to have had remarkable technical and cultural
power in the pre-historic period. Whales, once harvested, were distributed in accordance with the
structure and social status within the community. Bangudae rock engravings have drawings
suggesting such a practice.
Unfortunately, the history of Ulsan, the Korean peninsula and a part of the world are now immersed in
the water.
What I mean to say is that the rock engravings of Bangudae in Ulsan are under water except for three
to four months in the winter during the dry season. Furthermore, the engravings face the danger of
wearing off, with their surfaces damaged severely by weathering of more than 4,000 years. Also
repeated exposure to the air for three to four months every year accelerates the wearing because of
congelation and melting water.
Reproduction of the Bangudae petroglyphs
The water which washes the rocks creeps into the crevices, further expanding them, and when the
water withdraws, rocks have fissures by reduction of the pressure and dehydration. When you
compare the present rock engravings with the replica manufactured in the 1970s, you will find
conspicuous damage on the rocks and wearing down of the engravings, which present a really
miserable sight.
At present, many scholars are engaged in studies on how to preserve these valuable remains. As one
who is in charge of Ulsan's civil administration and as a politician, I feel myself responsible for the
Bangudae rock engravings being left in this status. As a measure to preserve them, I think Bangudae
should be registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. I would like to take this opportunity for
support and assistance to all the people of the world concerned with whales.
II. Ulsan and Whales
The history of whaling in Jang-seng-po in Ulsan began in the late 19th century when Pacific Whaling
Co. of Russia discovered large schools of whales off this town, and leased the area near the port of
Jang-seng-po as a whaling base with the aim to harvest whales by obtaining the whaling right from the
Korean government.
Later, Japan came to monopolize the whaling business after its victory in the Russo-Japan war. Jangseng-po in Ulsan became the center of whaling from around 1915.
When Korea became independent from Japan after World War II, the whaling company, thus far
managed by the Japanese, re-started as Chosun Whaling Co., fully invested by Koreans.
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7. März 2016 23
The first whale, a killer whale, was caught on April 16, 1946 by a whaling boat transformed from a
wooden fishing boat. In 1966, the wooden whaling boats were replaced by steel vessels. There are
records that those vessels caught an annual average of 700 whales (cf. History of Whaling in the Sea
Near the Korean Peninsula by Koo-Byong Park). The town so thrived by whaling in the 1970s that one
saying goes even a dog carried a 1000-won bill (now worth about ?1000) in its mouth in Jang-sengpo.
However, since the enforcement of a commercial whaling moratorium, only two decayed whaling
vessels and a deserted whale flensing station was left in Jang-seng-po, once the forefront of Korean
whaling, rendering the town a desolate place.
As I am not a whale biologist, I cannot accurately tell the number of whales living in the waters near
Ulsan at this moment, but I receive reports that the number of whales has largely increased since
1986. (According to data by National Fisheries Research & Development Institute, the number of
whales reported to have been taken incidentally in fisheries or stranded in the seas surrounding the
Korean Peninsula in 2002 was 280 from 12 different species. )
I am convinced that the day will certainly come when whales are landed in Jang-seng-po, although I
am not sure what types of harvesting will take place, be it research whaling or whaling for the purpose
of management.
As chief of Ward Nambu of Ulsan Metropolitan City, I have a scheme to revive Jang-seng-po (which
once thrived by whaling) as a new town through such efforts as construction of a whale museum,
restoration of the whale flensing station, invitation of the Cetacean Research Division of National
Fisheries Research & Development Institute to the town, and improvement of hygiene at the whaling
station (at present many of the incidentally caught whales are processed in an unsanitary manner in
the whole area of the eastern coast �E Pohang, Yeongdeok, Hupo, Samcheok, etc.
I believe such a scheme will certainly serve for the benefit of Jang-seng-po and also for the future
whaling in Korea.
Flensing station in ruin
http://samedi.livejournal.com/320501.html
Ulsan and Whaling in Korea (with a pinch of Indiana Jones)
Dec. 27th, 2008
Next week is the start of my winter vacation – a rather limited five days – and since I never got around
to planning any international trips my current plan is to spend the time exploring a new part of Korea,
in particular the province of 경상남도 (Gyeongsangnam-do) in the southeast of the country.
What initially sparked my interest in the area was an advertisement on the Seoul subway line
promoting “Ulsan For You” that featured a beach comprised of black sand. I know Korea has a few
black sand beaches scattered along the coastline, but my mental image of Ulsan consisted of Ulsan
Hyundai Horang-i (울산현대 호랑이; the Ulsan Tigers soccer club) and a large number of smokestacks
similar to what can be found in nearby Pohang – after all, Ulsan is home to Hyundai Heavy Industries
and the largest ship-building facility in the world. For what it's worth my 2001 edition Lonely Planet
guide doesn't even have a listing for Ulsan.
Checking the Ulsan city website to find more information about the beach advertisement didn't really
help, although it does have an interesting-looking link for the Jangsaengpo Whale Museum. (Note: do
not click the whale museum link! When I tried it my anti-virus software reported two attacks on my
computer. I guess Captain Ahab isn't the only one having whale problems.) A local beach - Ganjeolgot
(간절곶) - will be one of the places people gather to see the first sunrise of the new year on the
peninsula, and Ulsan will also be hosting the 45th World Outdoor Archery Championships from 30
August - 9 September 2009.
[ Don't ask me why, but the Korean Women's Archery Team seems to be very fond of Winnie the Pooh
clothing ]
The Jangsaengpo Whale Museum (장생포고래박물관) is named after the harbor district that was
home to Korea's whaling industry in the 1970s and 1980s. The tradition of whaling off Korea's east
coast stretches back longer than that - both the Russians and Japanese were involved two centuries
ago while the Bangudae Petroglyphs (반구대 암각화) indicate that it was also a prehistoric practice -
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7. März 2016 24
but the most recent boom encouraged the establishment of more whale-meat restaurants in 장생포. In
1986 Korea agreed to respect the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on whale
hunting - a bit of good publicity leading up the '88 Seoul Olympics - and followed that up the next
decade by joining the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
[ 장생포 고래; Jangsaengpo Whale from 울산포스트 ]
However, despite the ban on hunting whales it's not that hard to find a restaurant specializing in whale
meat. Fishermen are allowed to sell any that they find dead or that 'accidentally' get caught in fishing
nets, and an internet search will bring up several restaurant names - some provided by the city
government's website and others listed through the JoongAng Ilbo. Who wouldn't want to stop by
'Whale Grannie's House' for a bite to eat? An online search turned up these photos on Daum for
anyone interested in seeing how it looks on the table. The JoongAng Ilbo piece also offers the
following quote:
The most popular part is the viscera, or the guts. The smell can be overwhelming for first-timers, but
veteran whale eaters like the chewy texture. The locals’ favorite is obegi, steamed tail seasoned with
salt. Just 20 years ago, a popular saying in Ulsan went, “You can’t call it a party without obegi on the
table.” The way to eat steamed whale meat is simple: Dip the meat in anchovy sauce and eat it with
garlic and vegetables. If you are not an adventurous eater, locals suggest whale stew.
I have to admit that I'm rather curious about the taste. Of course there are also those who go a little
overboard (no pun intended), like the three men caught with 90 Minke whales in a cold storage facility
that police reported worth 800 million won ($804,000). Greenpeace also got involved a few years ago
through the establishment of a 'Whale Embassy' in Ulsan. This article is an interesting read on the
interaction between the Greenpeace 'embassy' and the city of Ulsan, complete with the common trope
of 'outsiders shame Korea into changing its ways'. If you're interested, Abri_Beluga has a photo of the
embassy posted to Flickr and Greenpeace volunteer delly_m has a collection of images up from 2005.
[ 장생포고래박물관 photo by 김민수; found through 경향뉴스 ]
Getting back to my earlier point, the Jangsaengpo Whale Museum does look like it would be a fun
place to visit. The previously-mentioned JoongAng Ilbo piece even mentions a thesis by Roy
Chapman Andrews in the archive. Wait, you're not familiar with Roy Chapman Andrews? From
Douglas Preston of the American Museum of Natural History:
Andrews is allegedly the real person that the movie character of Indiana Jones was patterned after.
Andrews was an accomplished stage master. He created an image and lived it out impeccably—there
was no chink in his armor. Roy Chapman Andrews: famous explorer, dinosaur hunter, exemplar of
Anglo-Saxon virtues, crack shot, fighter of Mongolian brigands, the man who created the metaphor of
'Outer Mongolia' as denoting any exceedingly remote place.
Quoting the previously-linked JoongAng Ilbo article:
One of the most fascinating items in the archives is a thesis on gray whales by Roy Chapman
Andrews. This American naturalist is supposedly the inspiration for the movie character Indiana Jones.
Andrews came to Ulsan in 1912 for extensive research on whales. His writings reveal that mother gray
whales found in the local sea contained a rare gelatin in their stomachs. Gelatin comes from seaweed
and is produced after the cows give birth. It’s an intriguing fact ― it could be connected to the Korean
tradition of feeding seaweed soup to women after they have given birth.
Well, if it's good enough for Indiana Jones it must be good enough for me, right? That's a really
fascinating connection between the seaweed gelatin found in whales' stomachs and the Korean
practice of eating seaweed soup (미역국; miyeok guk) after pregnancy and to commemorate
birthdays. I have more to say about 미역국 but it will have to wait until another time. This entry is
already quite long and I have a meeting with a friend tomorrow morning that requires a trip into Seoul.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4123826.stm
'Accidental' whaling scrutinised
By Richard Black, BBC environment correspondent in Ulsan, South Korea
It's not the typical design of embassy - just a green tent surrounded by colourful images of whales
wrought in metal and stone.
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7. März 2016 25
It is in fact the "Whale Embassy" of Ulsan, set up by environmental groups on the shore, next to the
imposing Whale Museum, which celebrates the region's long association with whales and whaling.
The embassy was set up by a local group, the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements
(KFEM), and Greenpeace International. Their snap line is that it's "there to give whales a voice" - to
say what whales would say if they could speak.
And its message to the citizens of Ulsan is to stop loving whales for their taste, and start loving them
for themselves.
Ulsan's association with whales and whaling goes back for millennia - at nearby Bangudae there are
petroglyphs, pieces of rock art, which may be as much as 8,000 years old, depicting hunts in progress.
In the modern era, hunting began in earnest around a century ago, when Russian fishermen set up
camp around Ulsan's mighty harbour; it gained renewed vigour under the Japanese occupation.
After the end of World War II, whales were a valuable source of food in a time of scarcity and hunger;
and hunting continued until the International Whaling Commission (IWC) introduced a global
moratorium in 1986.
Long association
Every year for a decade or so, Ulsan has celebrated its past with a whaling festival in two town parks,
one just by the Whale Museum and, now, the Whale Embassy.
Children frolic and demand sweets from their parents, old women sit chatting at the food stalls, and
loud, mournful song assaults the ear-drums.
"Even from long back in history, Ulsan is known for its whales," one of the festival organisers Man
Woo Lee told the BBC News website.
"But now they're disappearing, and the whaling culture is becoming extinct; so we're trying to revive it,
and let people know how it was back in the past ages."
In the city's restaurants, whale eating is anything but extinct. A 200m walk from the Lotte Hotel where
the IWC meeting takes place brings me to a backstreet lined end to end with seafood restaurants.
In the early-morning sun the freshly mopped floors sparkle; the water tanks are crammed with fish,
eels and crabs waiting for the lunchtime tide of customers.
Outside one restaurant, one owner - who didn't want to give her name - is happy to chat as she lays
out mushrooms to dry in the sharp sunshine.
"For a long time, we've eaten whales as part of our staple diet," she tells me. "Some people have a
special affinity for whales, and they are my customers here; but unfortunately, there's not as much
meat available as there used to be."
The price varies, she said, between US$20 and US$100 per kilo depending on the cut.
Just at the end of the street is a small but heavily stocked fish market - and there, on a stall just inside
the door, are various cuts of whale, freshly washed, waiting to be bought.
Bad publicity
None of the market traders, though, will discuss their business - they've had too much interest, too
much bad publicity, they say.
Much of that interest centres on where the meat comes from - because, officially, Korean fishermen
are not allowed to catch whale.
"Korea has the policy of 'release alive' since 1998," Korea's Whaling Commissioner, Barng Ki Hiok,
told me, "and the Korean government persuades fishermen to let the whales go uninjured.
"Also, it is illegal for fishermen to carry a gun, a rifle, a long spear or a harpoon."
Nevertheless, dead whales do come back to shore. According to data from the South Korean
government, the IWC calculates that Korean fishermen catch about 90 minke whales each year.
This haul is usually labelled "by-catch", or accidental catch, but some of it is deliberate. The Report of
the IWC Infractions Sub-Committee, prepared for this meeting, states: "The Republic of Korea
sincerely regretted the reported incidents of illegal catches by its nationals in 2004".
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According to the IWC's Scientific Committee, enough minke whales are taken that the local population,
the J-stock, could be seriously affected.
"This is the first year of an in-depth assessment by the Scientific Committee to answer just that
question," said Doug DeMaster, the Committee's chair, "and hopefully next year we'll have the answer.
"We did look at this in our 2003 meeting, and we found out that in the worst-case scenarios, the bycatch levels at these orders of magnitude were not sustainable.
"These were worst-case scenarios; but at least you can certainly craft a plausible argument that this
level of by-catch is potentially problematic for this particular stock."
Ye-Yong Choi, from the KFEM, a prime mover behind the Whale Embassy, has a simple explanation
for the level of by-catch.
"In Korea, there is a market for whale," he told me, "and the whale market needs meat from any
source. The accidental catch is not accidental."
Nighttime butchery
He and other activists say they have seen whales being brought to shore and cut up at night, the
various parts taken away by traders.
They have pitched the embassy in its current site because they fear South Korea's whale catch is
about to go up rather than down.
Local and national authorities plan to build a scientific research centre, which will contain a whalemeat factory.
KFEM believes the facility will make it easier for the whale meat trade to flourish; but Barng Ki Hiok
says the opposite is true.
"Once such a facility is built, meat must go there for processing," he told me. "Then we can easily
detect illegal trade. Therefore, construction of such a facility is the best way to prepare for the future, I
think."
Just before the IWC meeting, when the issue first leaped into the media spotlight, the South Korean
government indicated that the factory might not go ahead - but Barng Ki Hiok indicated that it will.
The Whale Embassy will close just as IWC delegates leave Ulsan at the end of this week's meeting; it
has been there for nearly three months, and activists say that during that time their relations with local
people have changed, with hostility softening and supplies of food and other essentials brought
regularly.
Young people with whom I chatted in Ulsan believe that whale meat is an older person's dish, a taste
forged in the harsh after-flames of World War II.
If they are right, the trade which makes a whale worth up to US$100,000 will die a natural death, and
spare South Korea the opprobrium it will undoubtedly face from some western governments and lobby
groups if the by-catch rates do not come down.
http://www.monster-island.net/2009/05/whaling-in-ulsan.html
May 17, 2009
Whaling in Ulsan
Brian in Chŏllanamdo has a focus on whaling in Ulsan, an area that supposedly has a centuries-old
tradition of whaling. As in Japan, folks there are trying to re-popularize the acquired taste (or delicacy,
depending on your point of view).
Japan gets most of the bad press over whaling, mostly because they push it the strongest and
especially because they use very bogus, disingenuous ways of finding loopholes in international
whaling agreements (e.g., "scientific research"). But it should be noted that Korea, Iceland, and I
believe Norway are riding Japan's coattails, hoping that the practice will become liberalized again.
I did have an opportunity to try koraegogi on a trip to Pusan a few years back, but for some reason we
didn't; social responsibility or some such. If it's already there, I might entertain the idea of sampling it,
but I find the whole practice of capturing and killing these animals to be, well, distasteful. Really, no
pun intended.
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7. März 2016 27
I mean, old Japanese whaling towns are trying to revive the general public's dying interest in whale
meat, with free samples for schools and what not (those this may have backfired). If it were a less
controversial item, I wouldn't see that as such a problem, but in this case it's a tad inappropriate.
http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-about-some-whale-chobap.html
May 17, 2009
How about some whale chobap?
A chef displays some whale chobap (sushi) at the Ulsan Whale Festival (울산고래축제). I first heard of
this three minutes ago via East Windup Chronicle. Ulsan does, as Shinsano says, have a conflicted
relationship with whaling. It is illegal, one the one hand, but it has been a part of the city's culture for
quite a while, dating back to some cave paintings. Here's a picture of a reenactment from 2007.
It comes from a Joongang Ilbo article from January, 2008, which is my favorite example of this
ambivalence. The opening paragraph:
Eating whale meat here can be an unsettling experience.
The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling worldwide in 1986. That means,
according to law, restaurants in Ulsan are only allowed to serve whale meat that has been caught “by
accident” in fishing nets or washed up on shore already dead.
The informative piece on Ulsan's history as a whaling port closes with recommendations for whale
restaurants.
For whale meat, check out Wonjo Gorae Matjip (052-261-5060), or The Original Whale Deli, which
charges 30,000 won ($32). The better known whale meat restaurant is Gorae Halmaejip (052-2659558), or Whale Grannie’s House. The menu includes whale stew.
A cheaper option is to buy whale meat in Joongang Market in central Ulsan, but be ready to
compromise on sanitation.
For the record I don't have any problem with hunting whales for meat; certainly no worse than
slaughtering them for oil, as the US once did, and provided the hunting is done responsibly among
species that are not endangered, I see no difference between hunting whales and other wild animals.
With regards to whaling in Korea, and certainly in Japan where it gets much more heat from the
international community, I see the objections largely because the practice is rendered exotic to and by
westerners, as a backwards and barbaric practice that is supposed to be less civilized than the hunting
done in their own countries.
In some ways it's no different from dog meat in Korea, and indeed the title and the opening picture of
raw meat is a much more sensational introduction than, say, a cave drawing would have been, and is
the kind of thing people are looking for when they hear of whaling in Korea. I would be lying if I said I
didn't have a soft spot in my heart for dogs over other animals, but my objection to eating dog meat,
and this objection is echoed by many other foreigners, is because of the way these animals are
treated and tortured. However, when people look down their noses at Asians for eating dog---and all
Asians eat dog, or so the ignorant stereotypes would have you believe---it's because these animals
are considered part of the family, unlike the chickens, cows, pigs, deer, fish, or other animals we
consume in massive quantities. Although Wikipedia has a fairly sizable run-down of the arguments for
and against whaling, I suspect in the minds of many people, it doesn't get down to anything more
sophisticated than "those people eat whale?!?!?"
+
JANGSAENGPO WHALE MUSEUM
Jangsaengpo served as the outpost for whaling in Korea until whaling was banned in 1986, and this
museum is the only whale museum. The museum provides information on whales, how they traveled,
and actual lives of whales.
(Admission: Adults ＄1 Children ＄0.5 )
• 5 min. walk from Jangsaengpo
http://www.illegal-fishing.info/item_single.php?item=news&item_id=2717&approach_id=13
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7. März 2016 28
Three charged with illegal whale fishing near Ulsan
18/03/2008
After finding 90 mink whales in a cold storage facility in Ulsan, police yesterday arrested three
fisherman on charges of illegal whaling, the East Regional Headquarters of the Coast Guard
announced yesterday.
Another 78 buyers and traders were indicted without detention.
Police said the three fishermen, including the 47-year-old captain of a whale fishing boat, went fishing
for the mink whales in May, July and August of last year off the coast of Ulsan in the East Sea (Sea of
Japan).
The three, whose names were not released, then tried to sell their catch to restaurant owners in Ulsan
through traders. Police were tipped off to the existence of two cold storage facilities in Ulsan, about
400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Seoul. The whales being stored there were worth 800 million won
($804,000), police said.
We are still investigating the illegal whaling, said Chung Woo-jin, an officer of the Korea Coast Guard
on the case. We expect to arrest more fishermen who caught whales illegally.
If convicted, the three suspects could be sentenced to up to three years in prison or fined 20 million
won.
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=309485
Ulsan
Until the early 1960s, the city of Ulsan was a fishing port and agricultural center. However, as the
Ulsan Industrial District began to build up in 1962, it emerged as an industrial center of Korea. The city
became home to major industrial plants and factories, which include oil refineries, chemical plants, and
the multinational Hyundai Corporation’s ship building and automobile production factories. Ulsan is
well positioned for the transportation of people and materials. Situated on the coast of the East Sea, it
is equipped with advanced port facilities and convenient railway, highway and airport systems. The
Industrial District currently consists of Ulsan Mipo National Industrial Complex and Onsan National
Industrial Complex. Ulsan Mipo National Industrial Complex, located in the downtown area, mainly
produces automobiles, ships, and oil and chemical products while Onsan National Industrial Complex
on the outskirts of the city is home to oil refineries, chemical plants, machinery, and metal factories.
Ulsan’s famous tourist attractions include Ulgi Park, Jeongja Beach and Ganjeolgot Cape. At Ulgi
Park, a white lighthouse and interesting shapes of seaside rocks present a splendid view to visitors.
[Food]
Ulsan is famous for whale meat that is known to be a real cuisine with 12 different tastes. However,
those trying whale meat for the first time should know that the meat has its unique smell, which some
people find unpleasant. Ulsan has a long and rich history with whales. This is evident by the famous
Bangudae petroglyphs in Daegok-ri, Ulju-gun, which were created over hundreds of years from about
6,000 B.C to 1,000 B.C. They consist of numerous figures carved into rock face, such as whales and
people whaling. Click here to see images of the Petroglyphs! As whale hunting is banned in Ulsan
these days, only whales accidentally ensnared in a fisherman’ s nets can be served in restaurants.
There are several whale meat restaurants near Jangsaengpo Port.
Ulsan is also famous for sliced raw fish. As the city is close to the East Sea, it always has an abundant
supply of fresh fish. Famous raw fish restaurants and western food restaurants are located near
Jeongja Beach. As many snow crabs are also caught here, nearby restaurants are crowded with
people in the snow crab season.
In the downtown area, many restaurants can be found near the bustling Ulsan Express Bus Terminal
and Seongnam-dong that is about 15 minutes away from Ulsan railway station by taxi. The bus
terminal has in its vicinity Lotte Department Store, Hyundai Department Store, Lotte Hotel and many
other motels. You can also find Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Western and fast food restaurants
around the bus terminal. Seongnam-dong, which used to be the heart of Ulsan before the rise of the
bus terminal area, also features diverse kinds of restaurants and theaters.
http://cyber.ulsan.go.kr/e_html/history/culture/sub1/obj1/1gallery.htm
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7. März 2016 29
bilder v Petroglyphen m Walen!!!
http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/KOR_Port_of_Ulsan_1488.php
Port of Ulsan
The Port of Ulsan lies on the southeastern shores of South Korea facing the Sea of Japan and backed
by the T'aebaek-sanmaek mountains. On the shores of Ulsan Bay, the Port of Ulsan is about 50
kilometers northeast of the Port of Busan and about 60 kilometers south of the Port of Pohang. The
Port of Ulsan is home to the biggest shipyard, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and the world's biggest
automobile assembly plant owned by Hyundai Motors. The Port of Ulsan is also home to the SK Group
operated and the world's second biggest oil refinery. In 2004, the Port of Ulsan was home to more
than one million people.
Until the middle 20th Century, the Port of Ulsan was a fishing port and local market center. South
Korea's first five-year economic plan made it an open port. Today, the Port of Ulsan is the heart of the
Ulsan Industrial District, the country's special industrial area that is the corporate base for the Hyundai
conglomerate. The Port of Ulsan is also home to major industrial plants, factories, and heavy
industries.
Port History
The Port of Ulsan's shipbuilding and industrial past goes back many centuries; however, it was largely
an unremarkable place until 1972. The Port of Ulsan has a long history of whaling. Petroglyphs
suggest that, as long as eight thousand years ago, whaling was an important livelihood in the region.
Even so, large-scale whale hunting did not begin in the Port of Ulsan until the early 20th Century when
Russian fishers came to the Port of Ulsan area. The practice continued under Japanese occupation.
After World War II ended, the economically crippled area found whales an important source of food.
Whale hunting continued in the Port of Ulsan until 1986 when the International Whaling Commission
took measures to stop the over-killing of the animals.
In 1592, the future Port of Ulsan was the site of a major battle when warrior monks joined citizen
soldiers in resisting Japanese invasion. Records from 1642 show that the Joseon Dynasty ordered the
first shipping complex to be built in the Port of Ulsan, and the city's history was forever linked with
shipbuilding.
During World War II, the Japanese made the Port of Ulsan a major industrial site. The infrastructure
they created survived the war. Thankfully, the port and industrial infrastructure were relatively
unscathed during the Korean War as well.
After the Korean War, the Port of Ulsan was one of four sites the Korean government considered for
industrial development. The sitting President and many high-ranking government officials came from
the Ulsan area, and the Port of Ulsan received significant funding for business start-ups.
In 1972, the Hyundai corporation built the world's largest shipyard in the Port of Ulsan, and soon
thereafter the world's biggest automobile production plant. Today, many of the Port of Ulsan's
industrial facilities were created by Hyundai Heavy Industries. These facilities were soon joined by
other companies, particularly in the petro-chemical services, making the Port of Ulsan an industrial
capital of South Korea.
Port Commerce
The Ulsan Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office is the port authority for the Port of Ulsan.
The port authority is committed to making the Port of Ulsan the hub port for liquid cargoes in the 21st
Century and to continuously improve and develop port facilities and services to best support port
customers. They strive to support and enhance the local fishing industry through the development and
application of modern fishing technologies. The port authority for the Port of Ulsan is also committed to
addressing and preventing environmental pollution and to managing coastal resources in a
responsible manner.
The Port of Ulsan was the first industrial port to open in South Korea in accordance with the 1960s
National Economic Development Plan. The port benefits from a naturally protected deep-water harbor
with minimal tidal variations.
The Port of Ulsan consists of the Ulsan Main Port, Onsan Port, and Mipo Port. Together, these ports
have a total of 96 berths and wharves with capacity for general cargo vessels of up to 50 thousand
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7. März 2016 30
tons, buoy moorings with capacity to handle crude oil carriers of up to 350 thousand tons, and
dolphins that can accommodate oil tankers to 150 thousand tons.
The Port of Ulsan handles a significant proportion of the nation's imports and exports. The Port of
Ulsan handles more than half of South Korea's crude oil imports, almost half of the country's
automobile exports, and over 40% of its shipbuilding exports.
In 2006, the American Association of Port Authorities ranked the Port of Ulsan nineteenth among
world ports in terms of cargo volume capacity, container traffic, cruise passengers, storage capacity,
revenues, and other criteria. In 2006, the Port of Ulsan handled a total of over 161 million tons of
cargo.
The Port of Ulsan covers some 80 million cubic meters of water area and 106 kilometers of coastline.
Water depths in the Port of Ulsan vary from 4 to 27 meters, and tidal range is a mere .5 meters.
The Port of Ulsan contains more than 7.2 kilometers of quays and berthing capacity for 75 ships. The
main Port of Ulsan can berth 61 ships. The Onsan Port can berth 13 ships, and the Mipo Port can
berth one ship. The Port of Ulsan has four mooring buoys (three in the main port and one in Onsan
Port). The Port of Ulsan also has anchorage capacity for 37 vessels. The Port of Ulsan also has a
warehouse covering with storage capacity for seven thousand cubic meters of cargo and open storage
with capacity for over one million tons of cargo.
The Port of Ulsan main port has 31 piers and buoys with a total quay length of over 11 thousand
meters and cargo-handling capacity for almost 18.9 million tons of cargo.
Eight piers and three buoys in the Port of Ulsan support the SK Group Oil Refinery. Buoys 1 and 3
have a depth of 22 meters, and Buoy 2 has a depth of 27 meters. Buoys 2 and 3 can accommodate
vessels of 300 thousand DWT, and Buoy 3 can accommodate a 325 thousand DWT vessel.
The Port of Ulsan's SK Group piers total over 3.1 kilometers in length and vary in depth from 7 to 18
meters. SK No. 1 Pier is 260 meters long with alongside depth of 7.5 meters, and it can accommodate
two five thousand DWT vessels. SK No. 2 pier is 602 meters long with alongside depths from 7.5 to 8
meters, and it can accommodate five vessels from three to six thousand DWT.
The SK No. 5 pier in the Port of Ulsan is 799 meters long with alongside depths from 7 to 11 meters,
and it can handle five vessels from two to ten thousand DWT. SK No. 4 pier is 228 meters long
alongside depth of 10 meters, and it can accommodate three vessels from four to ten thousand DWT.
Accommodating one 35 thousand DWT vessel, SK No. 3 pier is 130 meters long with alongside depth
of 12 meters.
The Port of Ulsan's SK No. 6 and No. 7 piers both have alongside depth of 15 meters and can
accommodate one 70 thousand DWT vessel each. No. 6 pier is 347 meters long, and No. 7 pier is 370
meters long. SK No. 8 pier is 400 meters long with alongside depth of 18 meters, and it can
accommodate one 150 thousand DWT vessel.
The Port of Ulsan's Yongjam Wharf in the main port has three piers totaling 263 meters with alongside
depths of 7 and 11 meters. Yongjam No. 1 and No. 3 piers both have a depth of 7 meters, and they
are 143 and 100 meters long, respectively, and can handle one three thousand DWT vessel. Yongjam
No. 2 pier is 20 meters long with alongside depth of 11 meters, and it can accommodate one 20
thousand DWT vessel.
The remaining 17 piers in the Port of Ulsan's main port have almost 8 kilometers of quays, berthing
positions for 42 vessels, and a total annual cargo-handling capacity of over 7 million tons.
Two of these Port of Ulsan piers have a depth of 13 meters. Pier 6 is 990 meters long, can
accommodate four 30 thousand DWT vessels, and has cargo-handling capacity for 2.5 million tons of
cargo per year. The Port of Ulsan's Grain Pier is 185 meters long with annual cargo-handling capacity
for three million tons of cargo per year and can handle one 50 thousand DWT vessel.
Three Port of Ulsan piers in the main port have alongside depth of 12 meters. Pier 7 is 210 meters
long, can accommodate one 20 thousand DWT vessel, and has cargo-handling capacity for 515
thousand tons per year. The Port of Ulsan's Coal Pier is 210 meters long with annual cargo-handling
capacity of over 1.5 million tons, and it can accommodate one 40 thousand DWT vessel. With annual
cargo-handling capacity for over 1.2 million tons, the Yeajion Pier in the Port of Ulsan is 480 meters
long and can accommodate two 30 thousand DWT vessels.
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7. März 2016 31
Pier 2 in the Port of Ulsan's main port is 602 meters long with alongside depths from 9 to 12 meters. It
can handle three vessels from five to 40 thousand DWT, and it has cargo-handling capacity for 1.6
million tons of cargo per year.
Two piers in the Port of Ulsan main port have alongside depth of 11.5 meters. Pier 5 is 220 meters
long and has annual cargo-handling capacity for 561 thousand tons. With annual cargo-handling
capacity of over three million tons, the Port of Ulsan Automobile Pier is 830 meters long and can
accommodate three 40 thousand DWT vessels.
Two Port of Ulsan main port piers have alongside depth of 11 meters. Pier 8 is 375 meters long and
can accommodate two 10- to 20-thousand DWT vessels. Pier 4 is 322 meters long and has annual
cargo-handling capacity for 764 thousand tons. It can accommodate two five- to 20-thousand DWT
vessels.
The main port of the Port of Ulsan has three piers with alongside depth of 8 meters. Pier 1 is 149
meters long, can accommodate one five thousand DWT vessel, and has annual cargo-handling
capacity of 298 thousand tons. The Port of Ulsan's General Pier is 799 meters long, has annual cargohandling capacity for almost 1.5 million tons, and can accommodate eight one- to five-thousand DWT
vessels. The Ferry Boat Station in the Port of Ulsan is 822 meters long.
Two Port of Ulsan piers in the main port have alongside depth of 7 meters. The Hanjin pier is 190
meters long and can accommodate two one- to five-thousand DWT vessels. The Hwaam pier is 816
meters long, can accommodate six four thousand DWT vessels, and has annual cargo-handling
capacity for more than 1.6 million tons.
Pier 3 in the Port of Ulsan's main port is 347 meters long with alongside depth of 9 meters. It has
annual cargo-handling capacity for 763 thousand tons, and it can accommodate two ten thousand
DWT vessels. The Port of Ulsan Gas Pier is 360 meters long with alongside depth of 7.5 meters, and it
can accommodate three one- to five-thousand DWT vessels.
The Port of Ulsan's Onsan Port contains 13 piers and two buoys that can berth 23 vessels and handle
almost 4.7 million tons of cargo per year. The KNOC and S-Oil Buoys have alongside depth of 27
meters and each can accommodate one vessel of 300 thousand and 350 thousand DWT, respectively.
The S-Oil Pier 2 in the Port of Ulsan's Onsan Port is 340 meters long with alongside depth of 15.5
meters, and it can accommodate three five- to 80-thousand DWT vessels. The Jongil Pier 2 is 320
meters long with alongside depth of 12.5 meters, and it can accommodate two 20- to 50-thousand
DWT vessels.
Four piers in the Port of Ulsan's Onsan Port have alongside depth of 12 meters. The KPIC Pier 1 is
320 meters long and can accommodate two 30- to 50-thousand DWT vessels. Two of these piers can
handle one 20 thousand DWT vessel each: Onsan Pier 3 is 230 meters long and has annual cargohandling capacity for 847 thousand tons, and Onsan The Port of Ulsan's Pier 5 is 220 meters long and
has annual cargo-handling capacity for 528 thousand tons. Onsan Pier 6 is 240 meters long and can
accommodate one 30 thousand DWT vessel. It also has annual cargo-handling capacity for 624
thousand tons.
Six Onsan Port piers in the Port of Ulsan have alongside depth of 11 meters and annual cargohandling capacity for almost 2.7 million tons of cargo. Jongil Pier 1 is 178 meters long and can
accommodate two one- to 20-thousand DWT vessels. Onsan Piers 1, 2, and 4 can each handle one
20-thousand DWT vessel. Onsan Pier 1 is 270 meters long and has annual cargo-handling capacity
for 1.2 million tons.
Also with alongside depth of 11 meters, Onsan Piers 2 and 4 can accommodate one 20 thousand
DWT vessel, and each of them is 210 meters long. Pier 2 has annual cargo-handling capacity for806
thousand tons, and Pier 4 has capacity for 672 thousand tons of cargo per year. The Port of Ulsan's
OTK Pier is 391 meters long and can accommodate two 20 thousand DWT vessels, and the S-Oil Pier
1 is 280 meters long with capacity for two 20- to 40-thousand DWT vessels.
KPIC Pier 2 in the Port of Ulsan's Onsan Port is 275 meters long with alongside depth of 9 meters,
and it can accommodate two 10 thousand DWT vessels.
Finally, the Port of Ulsan's Mipo Pier is 210 meters long alongside depth of 9 meters. It can
accommodate one 20 thousand DWT vessel, and it has capacity to handle 504 thousand tons of cargo
per year.
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The Port of Ulsan is working on a significant expansion to its facilities. The Port of Ulsan New Port will
add 20 berths to meet increasing cargo volumes and still maintain its prompt and efficient service to
vessels that call at the Port of Ulsan.
Cruising and Travel
Ulsan City is not a well-known tourist destination, but it has some attractive areas that visitors will
enjoy. The Port of Ulsan's old downtown, Seongnamdong, offers traditional shops offering local goods
for low local prices, and it contains several foreign-run bars. Mugeodong is the best area for young
adults, as it is home to Ulsan University. In some areas, industrial facilities dominate.
The Port of Ulsan has a humid subtropical climate with an average annual temperature of 14 °C (57
°F). The hottest temperature in the Port of Ulsan is around 38 °C (101 °F), and the coldest
temperature is about -17 °C (2 °F).
Visitors to the Port of Ulsan will want to check out the 15th Century Barracks Fortress of Ulsan. In
operations from 1417 until 1894, the fortress stands about 2.8 kilometers in circumference and 3.6
meters high. In the 16th Century, the Fortress was the scene of one of the harshest sieges of the
Japanese occupation of Korea during the Imjin War. Seven thousand Japanese soldiers held the
Fortress against a 36-thousand strong Chinese army accompanied by another 11.5 thousand
Koreans. Despite this terrific imbalance, the Japanese were able to drive their enemies off. The
Chinese then encamped around the Port of Ulsan city walls, resorting to human wave attacks on the
fort that left thousands of dead against the walls. With muskets and desperate hand-to-hand combat,
the Japanese were still able to keep the Chinese and Korean troops out of the Fortress.
The Port of Ulsan's Baekyangsa Temple is located on Hamwal Mountain in Naejangsan National Park.
It is the oldest temple of the Silla Kingdom. First built by a Zen master in the 7th Century, it was
restored in 1678 and again in 1793. In 1992, a Buddhist nun restored the temple. The occupying
Japanese considered the temple as one of the most important on the Korean peninsula. Today, it is an
education center for monks in the Jeolla area.
Naejangsan National Park is the best place in South Korea to see the autumn leaves. The park covers
over 76 thousand square kilometers of breathtaking waterfalls and temples. The gods are said to have
bathed in the waters of Geumseon Falls. The serene and majestic Baekyangsa Temple is surrounded
by Bija and other trees that keep their green color all year. The park is full of unique local plants,
natural monuments, and abundant wildlife. The azaleas and cherry blossoms bring bright spring
colors, and the summer heat makes the park lush and green.
Travelers who want to visit the Port of Ulsan by sea can find a list of scheduled cruises on the Cruise
Compete website.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangudae_Petroglyphs
Bangudae Petroglyphs
Replicas at the Gyeongju National Museum.
The Bangudae Petroglyphs are located in Daegok-ri, Ulsan, South Korea. This site of substantial
engraved rock art was rediscovered in 1971 and was designated as the 285th National Treasure of
South Korea on June 23, 1995. The petroglyphs sit in an isolated forested area almost completely
enclosed by steep mountains adjacent to the Daegok-cheon River, a tributary of the Taehwa River.
There are three major panels in an area measuring 3 m in height and 10 m in length. A number of
panels with similar rock-art motifs has been found nearby at the Cheonjeon-ni site.
It is commonly thought that the petroglyphs (Kr. amgakhwa or bawi geurim, 바위그림) at this site
depict the physical embodiment of the hopes and wishes of prehistoric people. The petroglyphs were
made to wish for a successful hunt or an abundance of prey. Rock art also serves to facilitate or
symbolize religious rites, mythological or historical narratives, territorial markers, or decoration.
A few Korean scholars originally speculated that this rock-art tradition came from South Asia, but now
it has generally come to be associated with rock art of the circum-Yellow Sea area and Northeast Asia.
Thus, this site is an example of valuable cultural heritage because it provide clues as to the origins
and movements of some of the first people in Korea. Also, since art is associated with religion, these
stone carvings give clues to scholars about the society and customs of prehistoric people.
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The petroglyphs are on a rock face shaped like the Korean letter 'ㄱ'. The cliff face is made of
sedimentary rock and lies off a tributary of the Taehwa River. Stylistically, the engravings depict
dynamic and vivid figures with the abundant use of line and dots.
Description of rock art panels and motifs at Bangudae
There are over 200 individual petroglyph 'motifs' depicting 75 different land and sea animals as well as
hunting scenes. Notable animal petroglyphs include a depiction of a tiger caught in a trap and a
pregnant female tiger. Whales, shown with spears embedded in their bodies, can be seen too. Other
depictions of whales show it carrying calves. Wild boars are depicted in mating scenes and others are
seen with their babies by their side or are carrying them.
Some scenes depict human facial representations that have been called 'masked magicians' as well
as hunters, fisher folk and boats. Interestingly, the fishermen use nets and the petroglyphs show
details of the shape of boats.
The petroglyphs were made either by chiseling out the intended outline (Kr. Seonjjogi) and chiseling
out the entire shape (Kr. Myeonjjogi). This type of stone-working technique suggests that the
engravings were made towards the end of the Neolithic or the start of the Bronze Age. However, since
the rock art is not associated with prehistoric settlements the dating of rock art in Korea is difficult and
contentious.
Preservation concerns
Built from 1962 to 1965 and expanded between 1999 and 2002, the creation of the Sayeon Dam helps
supply Ulsan with drinking water but the rocks on which the petroglyphs are carved are now
periodically flooded for about eight months every year. The rock-art motifs are considered to be
masterpieces of prehistoric art and an invaluable resource of prehistoric information. Historic and
ongoing periodic flooding raises concerns of erosion and water damage. In 2002, an extensive study
on the Bangudae and Cheonjeon-ni was undertaken by various institutions led by Ulsan university
museum. Not surprisingly the study suggests that the Bangudae Petroglyphs must be better
preserved.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5486/
Daegokcheon Stream Petroglyphs
Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.
Korea, Republic of (Asia and the Pacific)
Date of Submission:
11/01/2010
State, Province or Region:
Ulsan Metropolitan City
Bangudae Petroglyphs: N35 36 50 E129 10 28
Petroglyphs in Cheonjeon-ri: N35 36 53 E129 10 25
The Daegokcheon Stream Petroglyphs are a work of inscribed rock art engraved on threekilometerlong cliffs located in the Daegokcheon Stream, which include the Bangudae Petroglyphs in
Daegokri (National Treasure No. 285) and the Petroglyphs in Cheonjeon-ri (National Treasure No.
147).
The upper reaches of the Daegokcheon Stream, where the Daegokcheon Petroglyphs are located,
have remained nearly intact in their natural state since the prehistoric age, along with diverse relics
that date from the prehistoric age to the historic era. Not only the prehistoric ecosystem but also the
harmonious relationship between nature and humans from the starting point of the historic age to the
modern era can be found in this historic site.
"Bangudae" means "a tall, flat rock resembling a tortoise". The rocks between the Bangudae and the
Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs and their surrounding area boast beautiful scenery in this site. During the
Joseon Period (1392-1910), this scenic location served as a gathering place where the literati class
indulged in poetry and music, and the many inscriptions and drawings engraved on these rocks reflect
their enjoyment of the place. In this sense, Daegokcheon Stream, which links the two petroglyph sites,
serves as a "living museum" where diverse relics dating from the prehistoric era to the historic age are
organically connected.
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The rock face of Bangudae, measuring three meters in height and ten meters in length, is located on
the lower part of a 30-meter-tall cliff that faces north. The eastern end (left-hand side) of the rock face,
which curves to the west, bears numerous traces of rock art, but has been exposed to severe
weathering. More engravings are distributed around the center of the rock face, which is well
preserved. More than 300 images were found through investigations.
The engraved images include: humans (14), animals (193), ships (5), tools (6), and unknown (78).
Animals, both sea animals and land animals, are depicted as being pregnant, indicating the ancient
people's earnest desire for securing food and fertility.
Among sea animals, whales are particularly numerous. They are varied in type and depicted in a level
of detail that has earned the monument its reputation for being the world's most famous whale
petroglyphs. The many images of whales suggests that they were an object of worship for premodern
people who lived in this area during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, and signify their beliefs about
life, death, and the afterlife.
Both the peck-and-polish technique and grinding methods were used for the engravings, and the
images were made by chiseling out (1) the silhouettes of the figures, or (2) detailed line drawings,
including the figures' bones and organs. These methods of carving and detailing provide significant
information about both the petroglyphs-helping to estimate their age by analyzing the techniques and
overlapping of images-and its cultural characteristics-based on other cultures that used the same
techniques.
The Bangudae rock art is presumed to date back from the late Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age. The
remaining images, which number about 300 and feature a variety of humans and animals against the
backdrop of land and sea, constitutes a precious heritage, both culturally and academically, as few
such examples have been found around the world.
The Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs include the earliest engravings in Korea. The Petroglyphs' most unique
feature is their overlapping images, which include animal and human figures from the late Neolithic or
early Bronze Age, abstract patterns presumably from the middle Bronze Age, line engravings of
humans and animals from the Iron Age, and inscriptions from the Three Kingdoms Period and the
Unified Silla.
In this regard, the site where the Cheonjeon-ri rock art sits and its surrounding area are presumed to
have long been considered sacred, from the prehistoric age to the historic era.
The earliest engravings of animals and humans in the Cheonjeon-ri rock art, which are believed to
have been influenced by Siberian culture, are recognized as invaluable materials for the geneaology
of prehistoric Korean culture. While the Bangudae Petroglyphs are known for their images of sea
animals, the Cheonjeon-ri rock carvings mostly consist of land animals, especially large-horned deer.
Thus, both sites are significant as they can be compared to each other, and both aid in the study of
cultural change. The Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs date back to the late Neolithic Age or the early Bronze
Age.
The abstract images of the Cheonjeon-ri rock art that are presumed to date back to the middle Bronze
Age include many continuous overlapping lozenge patterns, concentric circles, spirals, and zigzags.
Although no clear explanations have been made of these images as they are very rare on the Korean
Peninsula, simlar abstract patterns have been discovered in Siberia and northern China. This serves
as evidence of the close relationship between the prehistoric cultures of Korea and Siberia.
Very strong, sharp iron tools were used for the line engravings from the Iron Age in the Cheonjeonri
Petroglyphs. The engraved lines are too thin to be discernible. The features include a procession of
people on horseback or leading horses, people on sailboats, animals that look like dragons, concentric
circles, spirals, entangled straight lines, and human figures wearing clothes that are also found on
pottery from the Three Kingdoms Period. These images are presumed to date to around the 5th or 6th
century, as are the nearby inscripions, but both are hardly connectable with respect to content;
therefore, the drawings are believed to predate the inscriptions. These images are believed to depict
the earliest form of the Silla costume during the Three Kingdoms Period.
The inscriptions, the latest carvings on the Cheonjeon-ri rock panel, are about Hwarang, or the
aristocratic youth corps of Silla, who were trained there. The records include the young members'
names, years, their training programs, and stories about the king and the royal family. The royal
family's Taoistic practices and offerings to the heavens, as well as the relationship among royal family
members, have been found. These rare records have earned the inscriptions their reputation as
invaluable monuments.
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The Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs are surrounded by various other petroglyphs including the engravings
of human footprints, making it the most plentiful area for prehistoric rock art on the Korean Peninsula.
The Daegokcheon Stream area, where many prehistoric relics including petroglyphs are distributed,
has been very well preserved, and the beautiful scenery has served as a good venue for many people
to enjoy nature and cultural activities. This is why systematic measures for preservation of the two
petroglyph sites are needed.
Justification of Outstanding Universal Value
As with other Korean petroglyphs, the Bangudae and Cheonjeon-ri engravings, the foremost artifacts
of the Daegokcheon Stream Petroglyphs, belong to the Northeast Asian petroglyph culture that ranges
from the southern part of Siberia in Russia to Mongolia and the northern territory of China.
Located at the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula, these two petroglyphs sit at the end of the
Northeast Asian petroglyph range. The engraved stone marks the border of this regional petroglyph
culture, and clearly contains uniquely Korean features even while falling within the Northeast Asian
style of rock art.
In addition, the Bangudae rock carvings are recognized as one of the world's most outstanding whale
petroglyphs. This particular motif is found as far away as Canada, the United States and Mexico, and
is sparsely distributed along the Pacific coastline in accordance with the migration routes of whales,
which start east of Korea and continue through the Aleutian Islands and the Alaskan waters to
southern California.
Animals are depicted in highly realistic detail with respect to their ecological characteristics. For this
reason, the Bangudae engravings are regarded more highly than other East Asian petroglyphs,
including those in Korea. In particular, the fact that the whales are drawn in enough detail to be
identifiable by species-including gray whales, right whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, and
killer whales-gives the engravings an outstanding quality that is hard to find in other rock art.
The port of Ulsan, where the Bangudae rock art is located, has served as a center for the whaling
industry on the Korean peninsula since the launch of modern whaling. Naturally, people living in the
area have long depended on whales for their livelihood and have even worshiped them as objects of
faith. A whale shrine still stands, and whales continue to be worshipped as gods. The Bangudae
Petroglyphs suggest that this tradition may have been practiced as early as the late Neolithic Age and
the Bronze Age, reflecting the significance of whaling on the Korean peninsula as well as
internationally.
The Bangudae Petroglyphs are also important aesthetically, given the artistic methods used, including
the realistic depiction of real animals' ecological characteristics and the fact that each drawing serves
not as a simple element in a group of unrelated pictures but as single motifs arranged in a specific
order within a total composition .
The rules of composition that determined how the surface and line engravings would be arranged,
such as the avoidance of overlapping images, provide help to determine the age of the relics and aid
in research on the cultural changes for the artists living at the time.
With its large surface area (3x10 meters) covered in a variety of carvings that date from different
historical eras, revealing the inhabitants' changing artistic techniques and aesthetic tastes, the rock art
is a rare specimen.
The site of the Bangudae engravings and its surrounding area contains many historic relics that date
back to the age of dinosaurs, before the birth of human beings, and continue up to the modern era.
This broad historical distribution concretely demonstrates the historical position/importance of the
Bangudae Petroglyphs vis-a-vis the span of Korean history.
The Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs are unique in that they are layered, historic rock art that dates from the
prehistoric age to the historic era. Each layer contains symbolic engravings from over the years,
ranging from animal and human figures, abstract patterns, line carvings of animals and humans, to
inscriptions. Few such panels-on which thousands of years of human history are inscribed-have been
found around the world.
Satements of authenticity and/or integrity
Authenticity
The Cheonjeon-ri and Bangudae Petroglyphs were first discovered in December 1970. A research
team for Buddhist sites from Dongguk University first introduced this prehistoric rock art to academics
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7. März 2016 36
and published the first official report in 1984. Thereafter, Bangudae has been recognized as a
representative form of prehistoric Korean art, and all books on Korean art history open with a
reference to this engraved stone.
The Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs are found on a retangular panel (2.8 x 9.7 meters) and its surrounding
rock surfaces. The drawings and inscriptions engraved on the narrow panel overlap in four layers
according to the years of carving, marking the uniquenss of this thousands-of-years-old historic
monument. Meanwhile, the best preserved part of the Bangudae Petroglyphs is the central panel. This
3 by 10-meter surface, engraved with over 300 motifs, is globally recognized as a rare and invaluable
monument.
The Daegokcheon engravings can be broadly divided into two categories: simple silhouettes and
detailed line carvings. The difference between these two techniques relatively clearly reflects the
difference in time period and culture, and are therefore very important for understanding the culture
and lifestyles of people at the time that the rock art was created, as well as the chronology. According
to the research that has been done so far, simple silhouettes have been found to predate figures with
detailed line carvings.
The simple silhouette images are mostly whales, with some land animals included, while the detailed
line carvings are mostly land animals, such as wild boars and tigers, with a small number of sea
animals. This difference in content according to method indicates that there was a different in time
period and cultural background for the artists who were using these techniques.
As previously noted, the Cheonjeon-ri and Bangudae Petroglyphs are regarded as particularly
valuable because of their adjacent location and a series of linked prehistoric and historic sites from
diverse periods located between the two rock carvings.
The Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs are famous for their animal and human figures, geometrical patterns,
fine-lined engravings, and overlapping inscriptions from the Silla Period (57 B.C.-935 A.D.). As the
content and techniques used to carve and detail the figures are distinctive, stylistic changes in art
according to time period can be ascertained from this engraved stone. Moreover, it is also recognized
as an important resource not only for East Asian art history but for world art history.
Given these invaluable properties, the Cheonjeon-ri and Bangudae rock carvings of the Daegokcheon
Stream Petroglyphs have been recognized as one of the most important cultural heritages of Korea in
need of preservation. As a result, the Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs were designated as National Treasure
No. 147 on May 4, 1973, and the Bangudae engraved stone was designated as Monument No. 57
(Gyeongsangnam-do, then administrative province) on August 2, 1982, followed by the designation as
a National Treasure on June 23, 1995.
Integrity
The Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs are historic monuments on which abstract patterns, detailed line
carvings from the Iron Age, and inscriptions from the Three Kingdoms Period overlap in four layers.
The unique images in this historic rock art, which are distinguised from the Bangudae carvings,
provide higly detailed information on Korean history. The Bangudae Petroglyphs have also remained
nearly intact since they were first engraved. The outstanding diversity and accuracy of the engraved
images help to restore the lifestyles of the people and the ecosystem from that time. Listed below are
the types of figures depicted in the Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs.
Humans (8)
Animals -artiodactyla (123), carnivore (67), reptile (1), bird (2), cetacean (5), fish (3), unknown (7)
As the Cheonjeon-ri rock art consists of diverse engraved images that date to different ages, this
classification according to the types of drawings is incomplete. But it is still helpful in understanding the
overall content of the images. Meanwhile, the actual number of drawings must be larger than those
counted above because many images overlap or are severely weathered. Listed below are the types
of figures depicted in the Bangudae engraved stone.
Humans - full-length figure (12), face (2)
Animals - artiodactyla (57), carnivore (26), cetacean (58), chelonian (6), bird (3), fish (2), unknown (41)
Tools - ship (5), fence (2), net (2), weapon (1), others (1)
Unidentified - kind (24), shape (54)
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7. März 2016 37
As shown above, of the 296 figures investigated in 2000, 177 figures on the Bangudae panel are
indentified, with 24 items still unknown. Animals were the main subject of the engravings, but human
figures were also found along with 11 tools. With its scenes of whaling, shamanic rites and tiger
hunting, this one-paneled rock art offers a complex glimpse into the society at the time, serving as an
encyclopedia of prehistoric life.
Comparison with other similar properties
In the country
About half of all prehistoric Korean petroglyphs fall into the same category as the Yangjeon-ri
engravings in Goryeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
Petroglyphs in Anhwa-ri, Goryeong, in Chilpo-ri, Yeongil, in Boseong-ri, Yeongcheon, in Gaheungri,
Yeongju, in Ansim-ri, Gyeongju, in Seokjang-dong, Gyeongju, and in Daegok-ri, Namwon all belong to
the same category of the Yangjeon-ri engravings.
Except for the Seokjang-dong Petroglyphs in Gyeongju, which contain a relative variety of images
compared to others, most of the aforementioned engravings uniformly feature a unique shieldshaped
figure (presumed to be the face or mask of a god).
In contrast, the Cheonjeon-ri and Bangudae engravings in the Daegok-ri Petroglyphs depict animals
and humans in detail. In particular, the Cheonjeon-ri panel, which contains abstract patterns as its
main images and detailed line carvings from the Iron Age that have never been found elsewhere on
the Korean Peninsula, is a representative form of prehistoric Korean art along with the Bangudae
Petroglyphs.
According to research, the Bangudae and Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs are presumed to be older than
the Yangjeon-ri-type engravings. Therefore, the oldest engravings found in the Bangudae rock art can
be regarded as the starting point of all Korean petroglyphs.
As for the figures, the Bangudae stone contains both human and animals, most of which are whales.
The whale images are a rare find in any country, and they provide crucial information on whaling in the
prehistoric era.
Out of the country
Petroglyphs in Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China that are similar to the Bangudae Petroglyphs
tend to feature excessively large genitalia, sexual intercourse, or animals mating, which is interpreted
as the desire for abundance and fertility. The Bangudae engravings also contain images of large
genitalia for the same reason, but there are no scenes of sexual intercourse or animals mating on the
Bangudae panels. Instead, animals are depicted as being pregnant with bulging lower bellies.
Most whale petroglyphs found along the Pacific coastline of North America (e.g. petroglyphs in Cape
Alava, Washington, the United States, and those in Gabriola Island, Vancouver, Canada) or on the
Scandinavia peninsula (e.g. petroglyphs in Nordbladh, Sweden) usually feature only a few whales,
briefly chiseled in silhouette or as line drawings, against the backdrop of whaling scenes. The
Bangudae panels also contain whaling scenes, but most of the whales are depicted as ascending to
heaven, reflecting the spiritual beliefs of prehistoric people and their perceptions of the afterlife.
Hunting and stock-farming scenes are often found on petroglyphs in Siberia, Mongolia, and northern
China, and very detailed images of wolves or tigers raiding livestock and people responding with
arrows or spears are vividly depicted on the engraved stones. Although the Daeokcheon Petroglyphs
also contain images of whales shot with arrows, no definite illustrations of hunting and fishing were
discovered. Considerably restrained and figurative descriptions were used to describe hunting and
fishing; this is one characteristic of Bangudae that differs from the Siberian and northern Chinese
petroglyphs.
Presumably, these differences are attributable to the gap between the two societies' economic culture;
while northern groups were dependent on stock farming, people living on the Korean peninsula
cultivated crops. In other words, although the Bangudae rock art was influenced by the northern
petroglyphs, it also reflects the cultural transformation that occurred when stock farming culture was
integrated into an agricultural area.
Consequently, the Daegokcheon Stream Petroglyphs Group merit preservation as one of the world's
cultural heritages, given their universal value as a form of prehistoric rock art and their historic and
cultural properties as a distinguished treasure of humanity.
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http://clickorea.blogspot.com/2009/08/tourist-attraction-in-korea-whale.html
August 30, 2009
Tourist Attraction in Korea ⑥: Whale Museum
We both really like ocean views. For a nice trip, we often go to places with ocean views. We miss the
ocean a lot more because we live in a dessert now in Utah. On our first wedding anniversary, we went
to the Iron Springs Resport in Copalis Beach in Washington, USA. Last December we went on a trip to
Sequim, a beautiful port town in Washington. Sequim is across the ocean from Victoria, Canada. In
Sequim, wild deer were walking around neighborhood. We found a place in Ulsan that reminded us of
Sequim. The area is called Jangsaengpo. It is a small port town. There are no deer but the area is
famous for whales. We went there to see the Jangsaengpo Whale Museum because Ulsan is well
known for its whale watching tours.
The museum itself looked like a whale. The admission fee is 2,000 won (about two US dollars) for
adults. There were foreign language brochures in Chinese, Japanese and English. The first thing we
saw was a replica of the Bangudae Petroglyph, which was carved in the prehistoric age. The
Petroglyph includes many drawings of whales. It was designated as National Treasure no. 285 in
1995. The actual petroglyph remains in its original location, but it is under water for half of the year.
There are also many other whale related exhibits, such as a whale skeleton and maps of migration
routes.
The museum was small so it didn’t take us long to look around. Another interesting exhibit was the
whaling boat located outside of the museum. We walked on the boat and looked inside through its
windows.
Later on, we went to a whale meat restaurant near the museum. Most restaurants serve only whale
meat and/or raw fish around this area. We have never had whale meat before so we tried it. Some
parts tasted a bit like beef or bacon, but we didn’t really enjoy the whale meat. We went to a pizza
restaurant afterwards because we were still hungry.
To watch live whales, you can take a whale watching cruise. Of course, there is no guarantee that you
will see the whales. Whales swim around to seek their sources of food.
http://whale.ulsan.go.kr/php/app/contents/source/contents.php?id=12&code=ecad&type=A
Relics of Whales
The history of mankind is very old, but it cannot bear comparison with that of whales. It's thought that
the first appearance of whales goes back to at least 50 million years ago, with its counterpart, humans,
only being a couple of million years. In terms of calendar, it would be as though whales had appeared
in January, whereas humans sometime in December or even sometime next year. Hence, it can be
said that mankind's first encounter with whales coincides with the beginning of the human history, and
so mankind had met the whales as evolved as the ones we see now. Whales reside in the Five
Oceans and, occasionally, are found to possess a peculiar characteristic of being stranded on various
shores. These stranded whales exhibit their huge bodies to humans. The Stone Age man must at first
have been strucked with awe and shock by the whales' huge bodies, but soon realized that they could
well be used as food and daily necessities. Since then, the relationship between mankind and whales
had started and mankind's interests in whales swimming in the sea greatly increased.
And the records of human whale observations and their use had gradually started. However, due to
the short written history, a couple of thousands of years at most, of mankind, the written information of
whales is bound to be limited, and the information on whales before the invention of letters is
anybody's guess. Fortunately, however, prehistoric men had left behind some non-character-based
information on whales which has enriched our knowledge on them up until the Old Stone Age. Most
important are the paintings and sculptures. Whale bones that prehistoric man had left to us are also
important pieces of non-written records. As much important are the sites at which such materials are
found. These sites, or relics, are historical materials of great importance, and the sites, built after the
possession of letters by mankind, also abound.
Primitive Whaling
Imagine a group of the Stone Age men who were strolling around the beaches and saw whales at a
short distance. The whales were stranded on shore. For those men who had been struggling to get out
of famine, the whalee were the gifts from god. They may have cut the whale with primitive stone tools
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7. März 2016 39
and used the whale meat and blubber as food, and the bones as construction materials. They may
have made a feast around the whales, and it might have lasted for several days or weeks, in the cold
high latitudes.
From these experiences, the primitive men might have learned the value of whales, and wished that
more whales had stranded on the shore. But it's rare that whales get stranded after on the same
spots. So, the primitive men did just sit around waiting for whales to come into their hands. As their
intelligence and hunting skills had improved, they had devised ways to get whales stranded by force boarding small boats, hunters surrounded and captured small whales such as dolphins that had
started to scuttle away towards the shore and got stranded, or drove the whales towards the shallow
water near the shore, and using spears or arrows, the hunters captured the whales. And this is how
whaling had started.
As seen above, the primitive whaling used to be a "drive" whaling. As techniques improved, people
used spears or harpoons. Killing large whales boarding small boats was not an easy feat. Hence,
hunters started to use darts with poisoned tips as well as strung harpoons with with lines and floats to
impede whales running away. These were the primitive whaling methods used in the North Pacific
Ocean, the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean areas. These primitive whaling methods include the ones
employed during primitive times, as well as the ones used, at later times, with almost the same
technical complexities.
Catching large whales using the primitive whaling skills was a hard and dangerous task, so the
hunters naturally had resorted to supernatural powers, and that's how magic and varioud rituals got
their ways into the primitive whaling. Rituals with magic abounded in whaling. People used a dead
human body, or part of it, in whaling and whaling rituals.
The primitive whaling, in contrast to commercial whaling, had its sole purpose in self-sufficiency.
There are records regarding the primitive whaling found in the archeological records, but most of the
records are to be found in the 18th century records of native people accumulated by the White. But
these records are limited, inaccurate, and in fragments, posing difficulties in research on whaling.
… alle Völker u Regionen d Welt…
Primitive Whaling in Korea
Whaling of dolphin
It's assumed that Koreans had started hunting dolphins in the Stone Age. As mentioned before,
dolphin bones, successfully identified into their classes, were found at the Yeondaedo shell mounds.
The most bones found in the layer IV are of common whales. One of the excavators who wrote reports
on the mounds said, "These are because dolphins were captured and cut right here." As for the foot
bracelets, he said, "The owner of the bracelets must have been the leader of hunters on sea, and the
bracelets might have been presumed to have magical power in both sea and land hunting." Stone
spear tips and stone arrowheads were found as well. They may have used these items to drive
common whales to hunt.
But we have to notice that only small number of common dolphin bones were found. From this fact, it
could be hard to believe that they regularly hunt dolphins. If so, there would have been a lot of
common dolphin bones found, as in Mawaki. It's safe to assume that they had occasionally hunted
dolphins when they had encountered them on sea.
Whaling industry of Korea
Korea is a leader in whaling. But since prehistoric times, it seems that there had been no whaling in
Korea. They might have caught occasional whales that came near shore, but no proof of planned or
organized whaling can be found. It's still a question why Korean whaling had disappeared so early.
One possible answer to the question is the development of agriculture and stockbreeding. When
people depended on fishing, hunting, and edible vegetables to live, whaling could be an important way
of sustaining their lives, especially so, if there were many whales around. It must have been a liferisking endeavor to hunt whales for food, but nonetheless, an unavoidable task. Steady progress had
been made in agriculture as well as stockbreeding from the late Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age - a
safe and predictable way to earn food. During this period, whaling may have lost its attraction as a way
to earn food. Even during the Chosun Dynasty when no whaling was done, there existed all the
technical prerequisites - such as fishing implements, well-developed shipbuilding and navigation skills
- necessary for whaling in a large scale. There were social and economical reasons for this - extortions
in the feudalistic, centralized society had discouraged any entrepreneurs who might have wanted to
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engage in whaling business. The nineteenth century book, "Im-won-sip-ryuk-ji" by Seo, Yu Goo, said,
while explaining about whales, that Japanese used spears to hunt whales, but no Korean fishers had
the skill. The reason for that was extortion by the government. When a dead whale was driven to
shore, the local government officer would summon locals to cut it and took it away on horses for
several days. One could make a huge profit on a dead whale. But the government took it all, and
would leave nothing for commoners. That was why they would not want to learn whaling.
"Oh-ju-yun-mun-jang-jeon-san-go", written by Lee, Kyu Kyeong in the mid-1900s, said that when a
whale got stranded on shore, it would give lots of oil, But the government would take it all, and had
become a nuisance to commoners, so when the saw a deal whale on shore, they would gather
together to push it back to the sea, so that it would get on shore in other area.
Under such social circumstances, it would make no sense to catch whales investing money and
manpower into it, considering the extortion done by the government.
There was little demands for marine products in the Chosun Dynasty. Even with coastal fisheries full of
marine animals, due to little demands and small markets for marine products, they had not actively
developed fishery, and were limited to small-scale fishery. It would be nonsense to foster whaling and
provide a large amount of whale meat to market
Evidence of whaling in Chosun can be found in a record written by a Dutch. In 1653, some Dutchmen
got stranded on the shore of Jeju island. They stayed in Korea for long, and later returned to their
home country. They reported a story of spears and whaling. "Chosun-kyun-mun", written by a
Dutchman, says, "There are lots of whales on the northern sea, and they sail out to hunt them along
the coastal waters." And also, "Chosun hunters use long spears, much like the ones used by
Japanese". But these stories are hard to believe. In the book, there are even stories of whales
stranded, struck by harpoons made in the Netherlands. It is believed that their stories are not true.
Another whaling record can be found in the book "Korea, the hermit nation", written by W.E.Griffis in
the late 19th century - Whales had followed some fish to the coastal waters of Ham Kyung Do. Locals
had gone out to the sea to hunt them, or driven those whales to shore to catch them. This story
doesn't seem to be true either.
Whaling business had started after the Independence of Korea. All Japanese whalers withdrew from
the whaling fisheries after the Independence. Employees of Japanese whaling companies had come
back to Korea. Now, with experienced crew, and rich fisheries, only whaling vessels and equipment
were lacking to start whaling.
The Korean whaling pioneer, Kim, Ok Chang, had made plans to embark on whaling himself. He was
an experienced whaler, and worked for Japan marine corporation during the Japanese colonization.
And he also had an experience in whaling in the regions of the Antarctic Ocean, on board of whaling
mother ships. He talked to the president of Japan marine corporation to buy a whaling ship. The
following is his recollections. He successfully negotiated with the president and purchased two small
whaling ships - the 6th Jung-hae-whan and the 7th Jung-hae-whan. The purchase cost
was paid off with the retirement allowance of the 300 former Korean employees of Japan marine
corporation, and other funds, worth 200,000 Won, plus his own money, 400,000 Won. The ships were
purse seines ships, modified into whaling ships. The 7th Jung-hae-whan arrived in the Jang-Sang-Po
port, all decorated with flags of the world. She was ready for whaling with all necessary equipment and
materials on board. Several months later, the 6th Jung-hae-whan arrived as well. Kim founded the first
Korean whaling company - Chosun Whaling Corporation, and became its president in the autumn of
1946. Their first whale was caught on the 16th of April, 1946 by the 7th Jung-hae-whan. It was a killer
whale. To commemorate their first catch, they made the day the Korean Whaling Day.
It was the first whaling gun shots in several thousand years, since the Bronze Age men had fought
whales with hand-thrown spears on sea.
The company may look small - with foreign used wooden whaling vessels and Norwegian whaling
methods, but it wasn't. considering that it was the beginning of the modern Korean whaling.
They had caught first arctic whales in August of 1946. They had hunted really well, catching 66 arctic
whales with the two ships. It seems that they had found more arctic whales, with the absence of
whaling during the War.
For several years from 1946, Chosun Whaling Development Company had engaged in hunting minke
whales. This company was previously Japanese-owned, and had been hunting minke whales in the
later part of the colonization. After the Independence, the company had become Korean-owned, and
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kept hunting minke whales with two extremely small whaling boats. One of the ships - the 11th Daekyung-ho, captured 39 minke whales in 1946 - a very good catch. The longest amongst the captured
was 7.8 meters in length.
In the beginning, people were very skeptical about whaling. But, with an unexpected success of
Chosun Whaling Corporation, a new perspective on whaling had emerged, and more people got
involved. Dae Dong Whaling Corporation had been established in 1947. More whaling companies had
been established in different times. There were about 20 whaling vessels in the early 1950s.
To promote whaling, Korean Whaling Fishery Association was founded in Jang-Sang-Po in 1961,
which was renamed later Coastal Whaling Fishery Association.
In the late 1960s, there were 20 whaling vessels. The smallest in tonnage was 10.21 tons.
The extraordinarily big ship weighed about 285.30 tons, but other than this, the biggest was 81.59
tons. Most of the engines were hot bulb engines.
There were about 29 whaling vessels by the late July of 1966 - the highest number of ships so far.
Since then, whaling vessels got bigger with diesel engines installed. They were modernized. But there
were fewer ships than before. All of them weigh, in tonnage, less than 100 tons. The average tonnage
of the ships was 46 tons in 1970, and 64.02 in 1977-1979. Korea joined the International Convention
for the Regulation of Whaling, becoming a member state of the IWC, on the 29th of December, 1978.
Other than one-time try of deep-sea whaling, they had engaged in coastal whaling. Kim, Yoon Kook,
of Kyung Lim Fisheries, bought a 300-ton used stunt trawler from Japan, which he had modified into a
whaling ship, and started whaling in the coastal waters off Ogasawara in 1974. He caught twelve
whales for 50 days of whaling. He even caught sperm whales that couldn't be found in the coastal
waters of Korea. It was a very healthy catch. He was unsuccessful in managing his company and the
company folded. No other companies had tried to engage in deep-sea whaling after him. Maybe, it
was because deep-sea whaling was going downhill and not very promising.
The number of captured whales clearly tells how whaling industry is doing. As shown the table above,
the most captured were arctic whales and minke whales. Until the 1960s, a great number of arctic
whales were captured, but since then, the number had decreased dramatically. The depletion of
whales was the main culprit for that. After the 1970s, minke whales were the main harvested whales.
The number of harvested minke whales had gone up steadily, and in 1977, the number had reached
about 1,000 - a new record. From 1981, the number had gone down again, due to the block quota
imposed by the IWC.
Whale meat was consumed as food, but not favored by Koreans. In the beginning, whale meat was
not a popular food item. So, in some cases, it was even given out for free to people. Whale meat was
cheap, compared to beef and pork meat, and consumed the poor. More demands for whale meat were
created as more whale meat had come into market, following more whales being captured. The
amount of whale meat consumed showed wide geographical variations. It was mostly consumed in
Busan, Daegu, Pohang, Ulsan- the Busan, Gyeongsangnam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do areas.
Whale products, mainly red whale meat, had been exported to Japan. Korean whaling business had
exported most of whale products to Japan.
The absence of diet of whale meat among Koreans, and the subsequent failure in creating markets for
whale meat, were the main obstacle for Korean whaling industry.
The IWC had banned all commercial whaling in 1986, resulting in the closure of the 40-year old
Korean whaling industry - formal objections could have been filed, which might have resulted in a less
quota for Korea for Alaska Pollacks allotted by America. It would not benefit Korea, so no objections
were filed.
In 1986, Korea engaged in an experimental whaling for scientific purposes, but it ended before the
fishing season was over, because the objections from America.
After whaling had completely stopped, some measures to compensate and help whalers find other
jobs were taken.
- das ist das Whale and Ocean Experience Center
http://socyberty.com/history/here-there-be-monsters/
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7. März 2016 42
… Humans have been hunting whales for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence from Ulsan in
South Korea suggests that drogues, harpoons and lines attached to boats and flotsam, were being
used to kill small whales as early as 6000BC. Petroglyphs and carved rocks unearthed by researchers
at the Museum of Kyungpook National University show Sperm Whales, Humpback Whales and North
Pacific Right Whales surrounded by small boats filled with courageous people. Similarly-aged
cetacean bones were also found in the area, reflecting the importance of whale meat in the diet of
their coastal peoples. …