my timesThe Korea Times

Minke whale auctioned off for 30 million won

Listen

The minke whale caught dead near Pohang. / Yonhap

By Oh Young-jin

A fisherman hauled in a dead 4.4 meter-long minke whale 120 kilometers east of Pohang Monday.

The animal was found in nets set for mackerel pike. It was auctioned off for 30 million won ($28,000).

The 4.4 meter-long whale had a girth of 2.4 meters. / Yonhap

Police were called to check the whale but found no signs of it being hunted. The fisherman got a certificate that enabled him to sell it.

Whaling is banned in Korea but retrieving dead whales is legal. Whale meat is treated as delicacy.