Bulls lock horns in a match in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, March 21, 2021. Newsis
Bullfighting in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, is going through new authorities scrutiny as criticism mounts that the follow quantities to animal abuse, placing a decades-old and profitable native attraction below renewed stress over animal welfare issues.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Meals and Rural Affairs stated Sunday it should conduct a evaluation of the Cheongdo Public Enterprise Company, which runs the Cheongdo Bullfighting Competition.
The ministry stated it could additionally strengthen oversight of bullfighting operations with Cheongdo County, together with reviewing registered preventing bulls, introducing a nose-pattern identification system, convening an exterior panel of consultants to enhance animal welfare and tightening controls on the issuance of betting tickets.
The annual pageant within the southeastern county, held since 1999, options bouts between two bulls. Though the origins of bullfighting in Korea are unclear, the follow was largely banned throughout the 1910-45 Japanese occupation of the peninsula, citing issues about massive public gatherings.
Revived after liberation and later formalized, the Cheongdo Bullfighting Competition drew almost 390,000 guests in 2024 and generated 30.4 billion gained ($20.6 million) in gross sales, in keeping with the company.
The pageant, usually held in March or April, was postponed final yr after its funding was reduce in response to a public backlash, then went forward in November after receiving a supplementary price range.
Regardless of its industrial success, bullfighting in Cheongdo has lengthy drawn animal abuse complaints.
Final month, the Daegu department of the Inexperienced Celebration Korea urged the company to finish bullfighting, calling it “the peak of disregard for all times.”
“Behind claims of preserving custom and boosting the native financial system lies cruel greed that turns dwelling beings into instruments for revenue,” the celebration stated in an announcement.
It additionally accused organizers of forcing injured or disabled bulls to combat, alleging that painkillers and metabolic stimulants are routinely used to cover their struggling.
Final November, Rep. Son Sol of the left-leaning Progressive Celebration launched, as lead sponsor, a invoice to repeal the legislation governing conventional bullfighting, aiming to ban bullfighting-related playing and place preventing bulls below the Animal Safety Act.
By legislation, injuring animals for playing or leisure is taken into account abuse, however bullfighting carried out below the Conventional Bullfighting Match Act is exempt.
The agriculture ministry stated it should take sturdy motion in opposition to bull abuse, together with extreme drug use and forcing injured bulls to compete, offenses punishable by as much as two years in jail or as much as 20 million gained in fines.
“To pursue constructive reforms to Cheongdo bullfighting, we are going to kind a consultative physique bringing collectively stakeholders, together with fighting-bull farmers, Cheongdo County and animal safety teams, to develop extra measures,” the ministry stated.
Bullfighting in Cheongdo is held year-round, and never restricted to the annual pageant. This season opens Saturday, with 12 matches scheduled every weekend day, totaling 1,224 bouts.
The matches happen on the Cheongdo Bullfighting Stadium, the nation’s solely domed venue for the game, with seating for 11,245 spectators.
