Choi Won-suk is a photojournalist at The Korea Times. Before joining the newspaper, he also worked as a photojournalist with AFP and St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri. He spent 13 years in the United States, graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a Master of Arts in Photography from Ohio University - Athens. Over the past 11 years, Choi covered various news events such as presidential elections, the 2019 North Korea-United States Hanoi Summit and 2022 Qatar World Cup. But above all, Choi believes in local journalism and finds a lot of joy telling life stories of ordinary citizens in small neighborhoods.
China eases ban on trade of rhino and tiger parts
China has allowed the use of rhino and tiger products in medicine, alarming conservationists who say it will hamper efforts to protect them from extinction. China's State Council recently announced the partial lifting of a 25-year-old ban which will now allow the use of tiger and rhinoceros parts for scientific, medical, or cultural use.
According to the New York Times, powdered rhino horns are used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat fevers and food poisoning, while tiger bone wine is believed to increase virility. Both have no proven benefit.
The Chinese government claims the trade will be strictly controlled, and products must only be sourced from animals that are bred in captivity, excluding those in zoos. But conservationists say the move will only fuel black market trade in wild animal parts, endangering the estimated 30,000 rhinos and 3,900 tigers still in the wild.
The move is a complete turnaround from Beijing's previous efforts in championing climate change initiatives and banning the domestic ivory trade. Experts speculate that the sudden easing of the ban may be a push to encourage Chinese traditional culture and medicine, reports Time. (Next Animation via Reuters)