Anchor: Bull-on-bull fighting is a timeless tradition in South Korea. But critics say the spectacle is cruel and causes needless suffering.  A national petition calling for a ban has now drawn more than 50 thousand signatures. Last month, more than a dozen lawmakers introduced a bill seeking to outlaw bullfighting and strengthen protections against animal abuse. Is the tide finally turning against a time-honored, but controversial, Korean pastime?
Our Yoav Cerralbo has checked out the bullfights that take place every weekend in South Korea’s southeastern Cheongdo County.

Report:

[Sound bite: A bullfighting match (Nov. 30/Cheongdo, N. Gyeongsang Prov.]

Two bulls lock horns, straining for dominance until one finally gives way, and the crowd roars with approval.

Matches at the Cheongdo Bull Fighting stadium in North Gyeongsang Province can last for half an hour, and if neither bull yields, they end in a draw.

[Sound bite: A bullfighting match (Nov. 30/Cheongdo, N. Gyeongsang Prov.]

These matches, though exciting, have sharply divided the nation.

Nam Seong-chul, who works for the organizer of Cheongdo Bull Fighting, told KBS World that the weekly animal event is a piece of cultural heritage.

[Sound bite: Nam Seong-chul - Deputy General Manager, Cheongdo Public Business Corporation (Korean-English)]
“Bullfighting is not simply a contest between animals, but a cultural tradition and community practice that has endured for centuries. The bulls are carefully raised in daily life, and even during matches, they are safeguarded under strict regulations. The practice is not intended to cause injury or draw blood, and if a bull refuses to fight, the match is immediately halted. In this way, bullfighting has evolved with respect for the life and welfare of the animals and continues to be refined both institutionally and culturally to meet modern standards.”

But animal rights activist Lee Gi-yen, who is campaigning to ban bullfighting, says not all traditions are worth preserving.

[Sound bite: Animal rights activist Lee Gi-yen - Animal Liberation Wave]
"I don't think it's a good culture that we must preserve. I think that same thing applies to dog meat trade, which we, South Korea, banned when South Korea passed a bill to ban it in 2024, and about the argument that... the Cheongdo country's position that animals are well taken care of, well... according to our investigations, there are so many counter evidence suggesting cows don't really want to fight. It's not natural for cows to start a battle. So, we've seen a lot of occasions when they don't start a battle in the first place. And when they do so, they are dragged by nose rings. We've seen a lot of breeding... "

Korea’s Animal Protection Act bans harm to animals for gambling or entertainment, but carves out exemptions for cultural traditions.

Animal rights advocates argue that the exemptions are outdated and that bullfighting has become a commercial spectator sport.

Spectators, on the other hand, say the weekly animal spectacle is a significant pillar of the local economy in the small southwestern county of Cheongdo, which faces a crisis of regional decline.

The town is built around the stadium, with nearby cafes drawing spectators, but little else in the way of local entertainment. Inside the ring, the bulls appear well taken care of, well fed, and well-positioned to make controlled and blunt contact—contact, however, that is entirely for the benefit of human spectators.
Yoav Cerralbo, KBS World Radio News, Cheongdo.