Serving on the Forgotten Frontier

ROK Drop

February 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am

Korea’s Whaling Capitol

Are you in Korea and interested in trying out some whale meat?Â It looks like Ulsan might be the place for you:

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 â€œby accidentâ€ in fishing nets or washed up on shore already dead.

But that doesnâ€™t mean the restaurant owners here always stick to the law.Â After all, Ulsan is known as Whale Meat City. The heyday of whaling in Ulsan, 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Busan, came in the 1970s and 1980s. Legend has it that even the local dogs running around town would carry a chunk of whale meat in their mouths. [Joong Ang Ilbo]

The rest of the article provides restaurant and tour information for those interested in visiting the city that is home to 80% of the nation’s whale restaurants.Â The article also provides a good summary of Korea’s whaling history and the city is home to Korea’s only whaling museum.Â

Some of you may remember South Korea has been criticized in the past for eating whales.

Popularity: 8%

1

Is this an invite to another “International Law” debate?

Has the ROK ever ratified any IWC anything? Not as far as I can find. Yet they did host the 2005 IWC meeting in Ulsan. But there ever any agreement?

If not so, then the ROKs can eat hearty.

http://www.iwcoffice.org/_documents/meetings/ChairSummaryReportIWC57.pdf

nospam on February 1st, 2008
2

Basically I could care less if Koreans eat whales or not as long as it is done sustainably which is in conflict with the save the whales crew that worship whales with a religious zeal.

GI Korea on February 1st, 2008
3

I’m just angry about “Dolphin Free” tuna.

It’s just never tasted the same since they stopped putting dolphin in it.

All this talk of food is making me hungry. I wonder if I should hop a train to Ulsan for a bit of whale or to Incheon for some seal.

Kinda makes a good ol’ fashioned bowl of dog soup seem rather dull.

ChickenHead on February 1st, 2008
4

Come here to Seattle, hey, the coastal tribes killed a whale a few years ago, passed the meat out to the members, eh, one bite was all it took, they promptly threw it out. Its an aquired taste, and the locals dont like it. That was until the Japanese expressed an interest in buying the meat. Couple of weeks ago, coastal tribe went back out to shoot a whale with a 50 cal. After much shooting, harponing, and 12hrs later one dead whale which sank and couldnt get it back, they gave up. No one is in trouble, good ol boys club. But look for another whale to get it, and quick trip to japan. No different then the salmon fishing by the tribes. Just string a net across the river when the salmon are running. Nothing can get through. Then remove the eggs to sell to the japanese, throw the carcasses away, usually the beach is litered with thousands of them.

outthere on February 2nd, 2008
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Koreaâ€™s Whaling Capitol - ROK Drop via MySpace News on February 10th, 2008
6

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