Seoul Metropolitan Government’s decision to release one of the three illegally obtained dolphins at the city-run zoo has sparked a political debate

On Monday, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon announced that one of Seoul Grand Park’s three Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins illegally caught in the wild will be released after a year of preparations and training. The Seoul government will fund the 870 million won ($776,000) estimated cost for the process.

The city has decided not to release the other two dolphins citing their age. The three dolphins were caught off the coast of Jeju Island and kept by Jeju Pacific Land on Jeju Island.

“There could be people who have doubts as to whether releasing dolphins is a matter the mayor needs to become involved in,” Park said at Monday’s press conference.

“In the view of reestablishing the relationship between man and nature, Jedoli should be able to swim freely off the coast of Gureombi.” Jedoli is the name given to the dolphin that will be released.

Although the illegal nature the dolphins’ capture is not disputed, Park’s mention of the so-called Gureombi Rock has raised criticism that he is using the issue to support those opposing the naval base under construction on Jeju Island. The Seoul Metropolitan Government responded that the mayor was not specifically referring to the controversial rock, but that the comments only meant the dolphin should be sent back to its original habitat. Environmental groups have lent their voice to the claims saying that wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins are found near Gureombi Rock.

Although the plans for the base have been approved by the government, activists continue to oppose the project arguing that the 1.2-kilometer rock outcrop, which will be partially demolished, is of high geological value.

The Ministry of National Defense says that similar landscape is found all across Jeju Island, and that only a limited part of the area will be demolished. According to the ministry, Gureombi Rock is named after the gureombi tree, which is commonly found in Jeju and the southern coast of Korea. Gureombi is an evergreen belonging to the same family as laurels and is found in Jeju and other southern areas of Korea.

The credibility of the Park’s explanation is marred by the fact that he has publicly sided with those opposing the base.

In addition, he had made his position known through his Twitter before the official announcement was made.

“Having seen Jedoli, the place for Jedoli should be Jeju where Halla Mountain and Gureombi are,” Park said in his tweet.

Some have also criticized the Seoul government for deciding to keep two other dolphins in captivity as they were purchased from Japan, where dolphins can be captured legally. In addition, the decision to keep the other two dolphins in captivity doesn’t appear to be sitting well with everyone.

“The older dolphins are about 20 years old, and experts differ on whether they can be released back into the wild. They (Seoul city government) said that they are nearing the average lifespan for the species, but we understand that (Indo-Pacific bottlenose) dolphins can live up to 40 years,” said Lee Se-gul of a Seoul-based environmental group.

“However, even if experts decide that life in the wild is not viable for them, they should not be kept in the aquarium but be provided with an environment similar to the wild.”

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)