Two minke whales found dead on same day

A dead minke whale is lifted after a fisherman found it off Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Courtesy of Korea Coast Guard

By Jung Min-ho

A 5.68-meter minke whale was found off Yeongdeok, Sunday, only a few hours after another minke whale was found dead in a neighboring county.

According to the Korea Coast Guard Monday, a fisherman found the whale around 10:30 a.m. in a fixed net 15 kilometers east of Changdae Port in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province.

After inspecting the carcass, police said they found no signs the whale had been hunted. It was later auctioned for 71.3 million won ($61,000).

A dead minke whale is lifted after a fisherman found it off Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Courtesy of Korea Coast Guard

About five hours ago, a 5.2-meter minke whale was found dead in a fixed net 15 kilometers southeast of Jukbyeon Port in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province.

Police concluded that the whale was not intentionally killed. It was auctioned for 33 million won.

Commercial whaling is banned in Korea, but retrieving dead whales is allowed.