After wolf escape, South Korea moves to tighten zoo oversight

SEOUL – South Korea is moving to toughen zoo regulations by mandating licensing for all of its 121 zoos nationwide following the escape and recapture of Neukgu the wolf from Daejeon O-World theme park.

However, some experts say that measures safeguarding the welfare of animals held in zoos remain insufficient.

Director of the Nature Conservation Bureau’s biological diversity division at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Kyeong-seok said in a parliamentary debate held at the National Assembly on April 29 that the government was working to apply stricter standards for zoo management by December 2027, a year earlier than the proposed deadline through a new law in 2022.

“Once successful, it will contribute significantly to raising the standards of zoos,” the director said, adding the government was in talks to win more state budget to help some financially-strained zoo operators achieve modernisation.

South Korea is not new to wildlife escaping zoos. A puma that escaped Daejeon O-World was shot and killed in 2018, while a zebra was returned after it damaged its enclosure and escaped from the Seoul Children’s Grand Park in 2023.

According to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, over 57,000 wild animals are kept in South Korea’s 121 zoos. Among them, 27 zoos are owned by the public, while 95 are privately held.

Under a revision to the Act on the Management of Zoos and Aquariums, effective in December 2023, all 121 zoos must obtain a licence by the end of 2028 and meet a set of criteria to operate, ranging from habitats suitable for the captive animals, disease and safety control and minimal requirements for zookeepers and veterinarians.

By the end of 2025, 10 out of 121 have obtained such a licence.

The government’s proposal, however, prompted criticism.

Mr Choi Tae-gyu, who leads the Project Moon Bear initiative dedicated to rescuing bears in captivity, said now is the time to ditch the structure in which a private entity is allowed to run zoos, given their poor understanding of wildlife.

Instead, he proposes that not-for-profit organisations should take over in operating privately-held zoos.

Also, an expert said now is the time for public zoos to transition from a place where animals are exhibited to a place where they are protected.

“Public zoos must serve a public purpose,” said Dr Kim Jeong-ho, a senior veterinarian of Cheongju Zoo who also appeared in a Netflix documentary, Weird Veterinarian At Weird Zoo (2026).

“I believe (public zoos) should function as a refuge for homeless wildlife or a venue for high-quality education. I wish zoos would ultimately play the role of animal shelters, starting with public zoos.”

Meanwhile, a zoo operator at the debate session said the toughened regulation for zoo operations could run zoos in South Korea out of business.

“I assume some (zoo operators) are preparing to shut down before the licensing deadline,” said Mr Yeo Yong-gu, director of Seoul Zoo, adding that he believed Seoul Zoo would disappear in 10 years.

“While laws for zoo operation are turning stricter, imports of wildlife species are becoming increasingly harder due to stricter quarantine measures,” Mr Yeo said.

“Unless animals breed indefinitely, few animals would survive in 10 years as they die out naturally.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK