Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

• 목록

  In late May 2026, students from a veterinary school were picking up marine debris along the coast of Yeosu when a finless porpoise carcass washed up in front of them. They had come to clean the ocean, and instead witnessed the death of a marine protected species. This bitter scene reflects the reality that Korea's seas are facing right now. The finless porpoise, known in Korean as "sanggwaeng-i," is a native dolphin species that inhabits Korea's coastal waters and is legally designated as a marine protected species. Yet in reality, it receives little protection. Between 2019 and 2023, a total of 5,618 marine protected animals died from bycatch, stranding, drifting, and illegal hunting — and the finless porpoise accounted for 3,839 of those deaths, or 68% of the total. The leading cause was bycatch: dolphins caught and killed in fishing nets during ordinary fishing operations. It is a painful reminder that legal protection on paper does not always translate into safety in the water.

  This is not just the finless porpoise's story. In the waters around Jeju Island, approximately 130 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins — a critically endangered species — call the sea home. The situation has grown so urgent that Jeju has been pushing to grant these dolphins legal personhood, a concept borrowed from environmental law that would allow rights to be exercised on their behalf. Sea turtles face a similar crisis. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has designated five species of sea turtle found in Korean waters as marine protected species and supports artificial breeding programs, yet the number of dead individuals found on beaches each year shows no sign of declining.

  Behind all these deaths lies the problem of marine debris. Discarded fishing gear, plastic waste, and styrofoam floating in the ocean entangle marine animals and spread toxins through the food chain. In March 2026, civilian divers took part in an underwater cleanup of a marine protected area off the coast of Uljin, and Ocean Day in late May saw cleanup campaigns held across the country. The spontaneous energy of citizens getting involved is encouraging, but experts warn that without reducing the amount of waste being generated in the first place, these efforts can only go so far. Korea's seas are quietly sending out a signal. The finless porpoise carcasses washing ashore, the sea turtles caught in nets, the debris-covered ocean floor — these are all part of that signal. How long it takes us to recognize it and act is the question Korea's ocean is asking right now.