S Korea ends breeding of bears and extraction of bileBy Kim Hyung-Jin / AP, SEOULSouth Korea on Thursday formally ended its dwindling yet much-criticized bear bile farming industry, although about 200 bears are still kept in pens and raised for their gallbladders. The change is in line with a revised animal rights protection law that imposes up to two or five years of prison sentences on violators. South Korea is one of the few countries that allow farming to extract bile from bears, mostly Asiatic black bears known as moon bears, for traditional medicine or as food, as it is believed to boost vitality and stamina. A bear looks out from a cage at a bear farm in Dangjin, South Korea, on Jan. 24, 2014. The ban is part of a broader 2022 agreement among officials, farmers and animal rights campaigners to prohibit bear bile farming beginning this year.

Source: Taipei Times January 03, 2026 17:12 UTC