Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Korea’s zoos face reckoning after repeated deaths, escapes
The wolf Neukgu, recaptured on April 17, nine days after escaping from Daejeon O-World, looks around while eating minced chicken and beef at the zoo in Daejeon, April 20. Yonhap
By Jung Da-hyun
Licensing reform questioned as exhibition-driven practices persist
A string of animal deaths and escapes is intensifying calls for a sweeping overhaul of zoo operations in Korea, casting doubt on the effectiveness of a licensing law that replaced a looser registration system more than two years ago.
The death of Bomunyi, a popular white lion cub at a Daejeon aquarium, was confirmed April 24, weeks after the animal died on April 2 at just 7 months old. The cause was identified as multiple cartilaginous exostosis, a rare hereditary joint disorder more commonly seen in white lions, which are frequently bred through repeated inbreeding to preserve their rare coloring.
The case renewed criticism of exhibition-driven zoo practices, fueling calls for a shift toward animal welfare and conservation.
Earlier on April 8, a wolf named Neukgu escaped from Daejeon O-World and was recaptured alive nine days later after surviving in the wild. The incident drew backlash over possible lapses in management. After the capture, the zoo released footage of the wolf eating, prompting further backlash from animal rights groups which accused the facility of once again turning the animal into a spectacle.
Animal rights groups are calling for a sweeping overhaul of zoo operations, saying many facilities still depend on breeding, exchanges and imports to maintain exhibits.
“We need to first ask whether zoos are still necessary in our society,” said Kim Young-hwan, director at Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), emphasizing that zoos should stop expanding the number of animals on display.
While zoos often justify their roles in conservation and education, most in practice remain heavily focused on exhibition.
“Facilities should shift to caring only for animals that cannot return to the wild and end the use of animals for entertainment,” he said, adding that public institutions should set clear standards, with private operators expected to follow.
Bomunyi, a 7-month-old white lion cub at Daejeon Aquarium / Courtesy of Spa Valley Nature Park
In response to such calls, Korea revised the Act on the Management of Zoos and Aquariums in 2022, shifting zoo operations from a registration system to a licensing regime. Since the rules took effect in December 2023, operators have been required to meet tighter facility and staffing standards and secure approval from local governments.
However, critics say the changes have yet to bring meaningful improvements on the ground. While the law aims to phase out substandard facilities, enforcement for existing zoos has been delayed by a lengthy grace period, while stricter standards apply to newly established operations. Many existing ones continue to operate despite falling short of the requirements, leaving much of the system yet to fully take effect.
A central obstacle is what happens to animals when substandard facilities are forced to shut down.
“It is difficult to place the full responsibility for handling animals on operators when closures are mandated by the state,” said Kim Bong-kyun, a professor of companion and laboratory animal science at Kongju National University.
“The government must step in to ensure systems are in place to take in animals displaced by closures and prevent abandonment, neglect or abuse, but preparations remain inadequate.”
Following the wolf escape at Daejeon O-World, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment recently moved to accelerate the shift to a licensing system by a year and launched nationwide inspections, alongside efforts to tighten operating standards.
However, experts say inspections alone may not be enough to ensure sustained compliance.
Animal rights lawyer Han Joo-hyun pointed out that facilities which initially meet licensing standards can later fall out of compliance, underscoring the need for stricter oversight.
“To ensure the law works as intended, authorities must be willing to revoke licenses when inspections find that facilities no longer meet the required standards,” she said.