Protected whale species found on sale at restaurants across South Korea

A composite image of a whale meat specialty restaurant. [Image generated with ChatGPT]

"I paid good money for it — and it was illegal?"

The meat is hard to identify at a glance, yet restaurants specializing in it draw a steady stream of customers.

The mystery ingredient is whale. A single serving can cost as much as 100,000 won ($74) — more than most premium Korean beef.

The problem: some of the whale meat sold at these establishments comes from protected species that are illegal to catch or consume.

A whale meat retail shop. [Provided by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement]

Whales cannot simply be hunted for profit. South Korea prohibits the deliberate capture of whales for commercial sale.

An exception exists for "bycatch" — whales accidentally entangled in nets set for other fish — which may be sold after following prescribed procedures.

Even then, only certain species such as minke whales are permitted; marine protected species are excluded entirely.

Yet when researchers purchased whale meat directly from restaurants across the country and subjected it to DNA testing, they found protected species turning up in bulk.

The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement said Tuesday that samples collected from 27 of 115 whale meat restaurants nationwide were jointly analyzed for DNA by Seoul National University and the Natural Monument Animal Gene Resource Bank. Seven of the 27 samples were identified as fin whales, sei whales and Bryde's whales — all designated marine protected species.

That amounts to roughly one in four samples tested. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has designated all three species as marine protected organisms, banning not only their capture but also their distribution and sale. Whale meat that should never have reached a dinner table was being served at ordinary restaurants for a fee.

A vessel suspected of illegal whale poaching. [Provided by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement]

Does that mean the remaining 20 samples are problem-free? Not necessarily. DNA analysis confirmed all 20 were minke whale — but being a minke whale does not automatically mean the animal was caught legally.

Under current law, whales accidentally caught as bycatch during lawful fishing operations may be sold through proper channels. Deliberately targeting and catching a whale, however, is illegal regardless of species.

Once the meat has been cut and packaged, consumers have virtually no way of knowing whether a given whale was legally caught as bycatch or secretly poached.

The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement said the 20 minke whale samples also cannot be confirmed as legally distributed until their DNA is cross-referenced against the government's database of legally caught bycatch individuals.

In short, seven of the 27 samples tested came from protected species whose sale is banned outright, and the remaining 20 cannot yet be confirmed as legally sourced.

One factor repeatedly cited as driving illegal whale hunting and the illicit trade in whale meat is the exceptionally high price the meat commands.

Earlier checks of major domestic online shopping platforms found numerous fisheries companies selling minke whale meat.

One actively traded product was listed at up to 180,000 won for 300 grams — roughly 40,000 to 60,000 won per 100 grams depending on the product. By comparison, the average retail price of top-grade Korean beef sirloin runs in the 10,000-won range per 100 grams, making whale meat roughly four to six times more expensive.

Whale meat on sale at an online shopping mall. [Screen capture from Naver Shopping]

Whale has been called the "lottery of the sea." In July, a single minke whale caught as bycatch sold for 71 million won at the Bangeojin Fisheries Cooperative in Ulsan. Some have fetched even more: a minke whale caught as bycatch off the coast of Samcheok in Gangwon Province in July 2024 sold at auction for 117.31 million won.

Illegal poaching cases keep recurring. In July, a group was caught off the coast of Pohang after illegally catching minke whales and then butchering and transporting the carcasses. The gang was estimated to have illegally caught and distributed five minke whales totaling about five metric tons — worth approximately 350 million won ($258,000) at market prices.

For consumers, the situation is even more opaque. Looking at a piece of whale meat served at a restaurant, there is in effect no way to determine when, where or how the animal was caught.

Online sales present the same problem. Some online shopping platforms reviewed earlier required sellers to provide a whale processing certificate. But not every product listed allowed consumers to view that document directly.

Even when such a certificate exists, it does not guarantee legality. Consumers have no way to verify that the certificate actually corresponds to the specific whale being sold.

Coast guard investigators examine 89 bags of whale meat — equivalent to one whale — seized from a fishing vessel waiting off the coast of Pohang. [Provided by the Pohang Coast Guard]

Questions about the true volume of whale meat in circulation have persisted for years. Environmental groups estimate that roughly 60 minke whales are caught as bycatch in South Korea each year, while annual market consumption is estimated at around 120 — suggesting that legally caught bycatch alone cannot account for the supply.

The DNA findings, which confirmed that protected species are in fact being sold, have deepened those suspicions.

"Under the current system — where catching whales is illegal but distributing whale meat is permitted — it is very difficult for consumers to verify whether the whale meat sold at a restaurant was legally obtained," said Kim Sol, a senior activist at the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement.

A minke whale found dead in a fishing net. [Provided by the Uljin Coast Guard]

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Yoon Jun-byeong, the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement and the Busan branch of the federation held a press conference Tuesday at the National Assembly's media center, calling for a comprehensive review of the whale meat distribution system.

"The confirmation that whales designated as marine protected species are being sold through the whale meat distribution network means there are clear loopholes in the current distribution management system," Yoon said.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Yoon Jun-byeong, the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement and the Busan branch of the federation hold a press conference at the National Assembly's media center at 11 a.m. Tuesday. [Provided by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement]

All seven samples identified as protected species in the investigation were obtained from retail outlets in Busan.

"We should reflect on whether we are indifferent to the reality of whales being sold as meat, even as we name individual marine animals and hope they return safely to the sea," said Noh Hyeon-seok, co-executive director of the Busan branch of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement.

The Busan branch urged the city government to inspect the local whale meat distribution network and take steps to prevent the sale of protected species and illegally caught whales.

woo@heraldcorp.com