"Thought It Was a Person"... What Is the Black Object in Front of Gangneung's Sea?

Endangered Species Seal Spotted at Jeongdongjin
"Swimming Up and Down for 10 Minutes"

A marine protected species and internationally endangered species of seal, which had disappeared from the waters off Gangneung, Gangwon Province, was captured swimming.

At around 2:40 PM on the 2nd, a seal was swimming in the sea near Jeongdongjin Beach, Gangdong-myeon, Gangneung-si, Gangwon Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 3rd, Yonhap News reported that around 2:40 p.m. that day, a seal was captured swimming near the sea off Jeongdongjin Beach, Gangdong-myeon, Gangneung-si, Gangwon Province, on a citizen's camera. The citizens who filmed the video said, "I was looking at the sea during a break when something passed by," and "I thought it was a person, but upon closer look, it was a seal."

A citizen who witnessed the seal said, "I observed the seal swimming up and down near the water not far from the sandy beach of the beach for about 10 minutes," adding, "A fence was installed to prevent people from approaching the sandy beach, so no one approached or touched the seal." According to a video taken near a fishing boat off Gangneung on the same day, the seal did not seem to be particularly wary even with people nearby. The seal was seen entering the water, poking its face out, shaking its body to shake off water, and leisurely roaming the sea.

The seal is a Class 2 endangered wild mammal designated by the Ministry of Environment and an internationally endangered species. It was also designated as a marine protected species by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in 2007. It was known to commonly appear on the East Coast in the past, but now it rarely appears in the South Sea and southern West Sea via the East Sea in winter. This is because the seal's habitat environment deteriorated due to a decrease in food resources caused by excessive fish overharvesting, and survival became difficult due to environmental changes such as El Ni?o. Additionally, illegal capture for fur was also identified as a factor in the population decline.

Previously, a seal about 2 meters long was also sighted off Gangneung in March last year, and in 2019, a seal strangled by trash was found at Mangsang Beach in Donghae and received emergency treatment. In March 2011, the Whale Research Institute also announced that it observed 12 seals at once off the coast of Gangneung while conducting a survey of small whales.

Meanwhile, experts advised that seals rarely attack people, but for safety, people should not approach too closely or touch them with bare hands.