Sejong, November 23 - The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) held a community briefing session on constructing a wildlife sanctuary on November 15 in Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do. Over 60 individuals attended the briefing session, including representatives from the village, the resident governing council, village residents, officials from the Ministry of Environment, and Seocheon-gun. During the briefing session, experts explained the wildlife sanctuary and heard residents' voices. In particular, bear experts from the National Institute of Ecology and the Korea National Park built a consensus with residents on the wildlife sanctuary by outlining the traits of captive bears that will be housed in the sanctuary.

With officially banning bear bile farming beginning in 2026, the Ministry of Environment is building a wildlife sanctuary on the former Janghang refinery site to protect abandoned wild animals, including captive bears. The newly built wildlife sanctuary will accommodate 70 captive bears and 800 abandoned wild animals. It is expected to be opened at the end of 2025. The Ministry of Environment is building other wildlife sanctuaries in the National Institute of Ecology (in Seocheon-gun) and Gurye-gun to protect captive bears and wild animals.

It is expected that the wildlife sanctuary to be built in Seocheon-gun will contribute to cementing Seocheon-gun's reputation as a leading region for "animal protection and welfare" through connections with the adjacent National Institute of Ecology and wildlife conservation facilities inside. Additionally, the new shelter is expected to boost the local economy by hiring locals for the sanctuary and consuming local agricultural products to feed animals housed in the sanctuary. It will also lay the foundation for Seocheon-gun to develop into an ecotourism destination in line with the National Wetland Restoration Project in Janghang (2024-2029), which restores wetlands, reforests, builds viewing platforms and trails around the former Janghang refinery site. 

The Ministry of Environment will actively engage with the local community by sharing the benefits of wildlife sanctuary and addressing their concerns. 

Chung Hwan-jin, Director of the Biodiversity Division, said, "The briefing session for residents allowed providing accurate information about the new wildlife sanctuary." He added, "The Ministry of Environment will continuously communicate with the local community to address the resident's concerns about the wildlife sanctuary and make the region a popular tourist attraction."

Contact: Lee Jung-won, Deputy Director

Biodiversity Division / +82-(0)44-201-7287

Foreign Media Contact: Chun Minjo(Rachel)

+82-(0)44-201-6055 / rachelmchun@korea.kr