South Korea Bans Bear Bile Extraction and Farming After 40 Years of Practice

Credits: Animal Watch

Little by little, in various countries around the world, laws to protect animals are beginning to be enacted, and now it is South Korea’s turn, where from January 2026, among other things, the extraction of bile from bears is finally banned, through an amendment to the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, which more generally prohibits the ownership, reproduction, and breeding of bears in captivity, as well as the production, consumption, and distribution of their bile. This is not a small matter; in fact, this is a practice that lasted over forty years, as it began in the 1980s, and is carried out in intensive farms where the animals are kept in captivity solely and exclusively to extract their bile.

The ban is the result of economic and social changes, given that over time the conditions around these farms have changed: public pressure, international standards, available alternatives. Moreover, today that same substance is produced in laboratories, more economically and without using animals, making the farms unnecessary.

As with fur farms, in this case a transition period is also planned with economic support for the farmers and a concrete plan to move the animals; some have already been transferred, others will be in the coming months. It was not an abrupt stop.

Beyond its great significance, what does this law show us? That when concrete alternatives exist and there is popular pressure, it is possible to change and dismantle well-established practices that were considered untouchable, even if it takes time.

References: Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment of Korea, Complete Ban on Bear Farming and Bear Bile Extraction After 40 Years