Source: http://www.moonbears.org/news.html, May 2007.

Bear Eating Scandal

On the 4th of May 2007, Mayor Yoo Young Hun of JinCheun (pictured) took about 20 of his County Council members to lunch at Yeonkok Garden restaurant. The restaurant is owned by one of the County Council members, Kim Dong Ku, whose wife operates a nearby Moon Bear farm. The restaurant's menu includes a range of bear dishes including bear feet, bear bile, and bear wine. Restaurant patrons are even able to order from a "take out" menu, purchasing bear cubs directly from the farm.

When a Moon Bear dish is ordered the hapless bear is slaughtered on the spot after being brutally clubbed to death. Mayor Yoo Young Hun of JinCheun paid the for the US $1,200.00 meal of Moon Bear shabu shabu (stew) using a government issued credit card.

County Council member, Kim Dong Ku and his wife, have claimed to keep moon bears as pets, news reports reveal, however, that they in fact operate a farm where as many as 20 bears are crammed into tiny cages.

Following the airing of the program, police are investigating the scandal with a view to prosecuting those involved under the Wild Animal Protection law, the Food Hygiene Standard and disposal of waste regulations. Kim dong Ku, his wife, 3 tractor operators and drivers are currently under investigation and it is believed that some arrests have been made.

Unfortunately, it appears that Mayor Yoo Young Hun and the rest of the offending council members will walk away from their actions scot free. While they admit to eating the Moon Bear, they claim not to have known it was illegally killed. This is hard to believe, as villagers in the area have witnessed the council members dining at the restaurant very regulary and it is likely that hundreds of bears have been brutally killed and consumed by the council members.

GreenKorea and WhalbinDan claimed the South Korean Department of Environment does not have adequate laws in place to protect the farmed Moon Bears, particularly when this immoral behavior was undertaken by high ranking government officials. They also called for the Mayor to publicly apologise for his actions and to release the names of any other council members involved. The Union of Civil Servants in Jincheun-gun has held a press conference to express their outrage at the behavior of these officials and to demand a high level investigation of the incident.