This ban will distance Seoul from Tokyo, where people have been allegedly abusing this loophole in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) charter. Japan allows sales of meat from whales caught for scientific purposes.
Last week, South Korea informed the IWC that it plans to start whaling for scientific research again. However, this announcement prompted an outcry from international communities, who accused that it is following the footsteps of Japan.
South Korea has issued a ban in 1986 on catching any kind of whales although the IWC charter bans only 12 species of whales. Whale meat is popular in South Korea, particularly in the coastal towns.
