Korea to ban import of cruelly poached endangered animals

SEJONG, South Korea, March 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Cabinet approved a revised wildlife protection law Tuesday to ban the importation of endangered animals poached cruelly.

The amendment, which will take effect next Tuesday, will also restrict the importation of living endangered animals from regions where their numbers are decreasing or uncertain, according to the environment ministry.

The rules will apply to species stipulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

According to the new law, whales and dolphins captured in the Japanese town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, cannot be imported as they are slaughtered in the infamous Taiji dolphin drive hunt.

The government also tightened rules on the renting and exchange of endangered species by scientific organizations.

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