South Korea says it will formally end its dwindling yet much-criticised bear bile farmingindustry this week, though about 200 bears are still kept in pens and raised for their gallbladders.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that it will ban breeding and possession of bears and the extraction of their bile beginning 1 January 2026. 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.
