[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Ahn Hoyoung: "Beyond Banning Bear Breeding, Lifetime Care..." Government Must Take Responsibility for Bear Protection

286 Bears in Korea Need Protection
Public Facilities Can Accommodate Just 120
Public Facilities Spend 14 Times More per Bear Than Private Facilities

Calls have been made for measures to protect the bears left behind after the ban on breeding bears for bile extraction. The argument is that the government must do more than simply ban bear breeding: it needs to expand protection facilities and increase support for private facilities so it can care for every bear through the end of its life.

A captive bear before its rescue and transfer to Denmark. Korean Animal Welfare Association

Rep. Ahn Ho-young of the Democratic Party of Korea reviewed measures to protect captive bears and urged the government to draw up a comprehensive plan during a comprehensive audit by the National Assembly’s Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee on October 26.

According to Rep. Ahn, under the 2026 budget proposal from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Seocheon and Gurye protection facilities have a combined capacity of about 120 bears. By contrast, about 286 captive and exhibition bears need protection, leaving facilities needed to accommodate an additional 166 bears.

Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan said flooding had disrupted construction of the protection facilities and stated, "We will achieve the legal intent of the ban on bear breeding within two years at the latest." The government plans to secure additional sites for public protection facilities and end private temporary care at an early date. It also proposed sending some bears to overseas protection facilities for adoption.

Ahn Ho-young, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea. Rep. Ahn's office.

Rep. Ahn said that overseas adoption alone would not provide a fundamental solution, given the stress and risk of death bears face during overseas transfers and the limitations of follow-up care. He said domestic capacity must be expanded and support for private protection facilities increased.

In practice, the protection budget per bear differs sharply between public and private facilities. Gangneung’s protection facility, selected for private-sector support, was allocated KRW 420 million to care for 30 bears, or about KRW 14 million per bear. By contrast, the Gurye public protection facility has a total project budget of about KRW 10 billion to accommodate 49 bears, costing about KRW 200 million per bear. Rep. Ahn emphasized that the per-bear budget at public facilities is about 14 times that at private facilities, and said barriers to private-sector participation should be lowered and related funding increased.

Rep. Ahn said private protection facilities had built up experience through rescuing captive bears, creating wildlife-friendly environments and conducting co-housing training. Citing the example of a cattle sanctuary in Inje County, Gangwon Province, he said bear protection facilities could also support community activities such as fundraising and festivals, and called for them to be developed as a model that benefits local communities.

"If bear breeding has been banned, the government must also provide a place for the bears to spend the rest of their lives," Rep. Ahn said. "The government must take responsibility for every last bear."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.