LCA/ALW HOST A PRESS CONFERENCE IN SEOUL DEMANDING A TOTAL BAN ON BULLFIGHTING

8/6/2025 - LCA/ALW hosted a press conference at the National Assembly Press Center in Seoul to demand S. Korea enact a total ban on bullfighting. LCA/ALW were joined by MP Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party and MP Son Sol of the Progressive Party.

The press conference follows LCA/ALW's investigation exposing widespread cruelty in S. Korea's bullfighting industry. In response, a National Assembly e-petition calling for a total ban on bullfighting reached over 52,000 signatures in just three weeks, triggering a formal review by the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee. 

Following the press conference, LCA/ALW delivered a legislative opinion letter to MPs in the relevant Committee, along with 17,000 signatures supporting a ban.

The key legislative demands were:

1. Remove the exemption in Article 10 of the Animal Protection Act that shields bullfighting from cruelty laws.

2. Repeal the Traditional Bullfighting Match Act, the legal basis for Cheongdo's permanent bullfighting arena.

3. Abolish municipal ordinances that permit regional "folk" bullfighting events.

MP Son Sol stated: "Bullfighting forces animals to fight, invites spectators to watch, and allows betting on the outcome. This is a clear violation of the Animal Protection Act's ban on cruelty, yet it continues to be permitted for human entertainment."

A MOCK BULLFIGHTING RING IN THE HEART OF SEOUL

6/26/2025 - In central Seoul, LCA/ALW held a powerful demonstration in front of the Bosingak Befry, calling for an immediate end to bullfighting in S. Korea. Watch the short video here. 

The protest was held the same day LCA/ALW released the undercover investigation into S. Korea's cruel bullfighting industry. Citizens wore bull masks and vests printed with the names of the bulls that are forced to fight in S. Korea, raising their voices in protest on behalf of those who suffer in silence.

A symbolic stage replicating a bullfighting ring served as the setting for a street performance, exposing the violence behind the so-called "tradition". The action closed with a communal movement piece, imagining a world where bulls run free-and are never made to fight again. Chants rang out across the plaza: "Animals are not for entertainment!" and "Stop bullfighting now!"

Several citizens took the microphone to share their thoughts. Lee Seul said, "No being on this earth should suffer for someone else's pleasure". University student Song Taehyun declared, "Bullfighting, which causes nothing but harm, must not be allowed to continue." Another student, Kim Minseo, said, "No tradition built on pain and cruelty deserves to be preserved".

The action was a clear declaration: not all traditions are worth keeping-especially when they trample on the dignity of life. The word "tradition" must never be used as a shield for animal cruelty. The time has come to end this violence. 

A total of 17 S. Korean media outlets covered LCA/ALW's investigation, including the daily newspaper Hankook IIbo, where the article was the "Most Viewed" and "Most Commented" on. The primetime news show MBC Newsdesk ran a six-minute feature on the investigation; MBC is currently the most-watched broadcaster in S. Korea.

CRUELTY, ILLEGAL GAMBLING, AND TAXPAYER WASTE EXPOSED IN SOUTH KOREA'S BULLFIGHTING INDUSTRY

Released 6/26/2025 - LCA and S. Korean sister organization Animal Liberation Wave (ALW) conducted an in-depth undercover investigation into S. Korea's cruel bullfighting industry. The undercover footage, obtained from February to June of 2025, documents systemic abuse at the country's largest bullfighting stadium in Cheongdo County, known as the "Mecca of Bullfighting" - as well as three bull training farms and several local tournaments.

WATCH AND SHARE THE INVESTIGATION VIDEO

In S. Korean bullfighting, two bulls are forced to fight each other. Handlers control the bulls using "salko" - a rope that is tied around their neck and threaded through their nasal rings. The handlers shout and force the bulls into combat. The bulls repeatedly collide head-on and ram each other's sides.

Bullfighting in S. Korea has existed for centuries and is considered a tradition and promoted as cultural heritage. Yet, our investigation documented animal cruelty, illegal gambling, and the misuse of taxpayer money.

S. Korea's Animal Protection Act bans cruelty for entertainment and prohibits dogfighting and cockfighting; however, bullfighting is exempt because it is protected under the label of "tradition". This legal loophole allows the suffering of animals in the bullfighting industry. 

INVESTIGATION DETAILS

Across S. Korea, there are 610 registered fighting bulls - one-third of them in Cheongdo - and 328 farms that breed and train the bulls. At the Cheongdo stadium, known as the "Mecca of Bullfighting", tournaments take place every weekend, all year round, with twelve bullfights per day.

The investigation documented:

• Bullfighting training farms where bulls drag heavy items up hills, and are whipped when they underperform
• Bulls tethered in enclosures to poles, sometimes for 2-3 days, unable to lie down or turn their heads
• Bulls exhibiting signs of distress that included panting, licking the floor, excessive salivation, and open-mouth panting
• Bulls with torn nostrils from being dragged by the salko rope
• During fighting, bulls repeatedly collide head-on. Some bulls suffer from facial bleeding, forehead injuries, and pierced eyes
• During fighting, bulls also repeatedly ram into each other's sides, risking internal bleeding and severe pain
• No veterinary care provided between bullfighting matches
• Wounded bulls, bleeding and limping, are only sprayed with Allerspray (a wound spray), and forced to fight again in multiple tournaments
• During transportation on trucks, bulls are tightly retrained with short ropes through their noses
• Illegal gambling at bullfights between spectators and bull owners

Bull pulled by salko rope	Bull pulled by salko rope	Bull forced into ring	Bullfighting training farm
Transport truck	Bull panting	Bull tethered	Bloody nose
Closeup of salko	Bulls fighting	Bulls fighting	Handler and bulls
Bull horn in eye	Bulls provoked to fight	Bulls ramming	Bulls in stalls
Illegal gambling	Injured bull	Injured bull	Wound spray on bulls

TAXPAYER MONEY FUNDING CRUELTY

Bullfighting in S. Korea is upheld by public subsidies. The investigation documented eleven municipal governments that provide millions of dollars in public subsidies to support bullfighting.

In Cheongdo, the bullfighting industry is managed by the Cheongdo Public Business Corporation (CPBC), a government-established entity overseeing match operations and facility maintenance. CPBC's subsidies increased from approximately $4.3 million USD in 2020 to $7.2 million USD in 2024. In 2024 alone, bullfighting revenue was only $45,000 USD.

CPBC also signed a problematic contract with the Korea Bullfighting Association Co. Ltd., a private company that built and owns the Cheongdo Stadium. Under the agreement, CPBC pays the company over $1.3 million USD annually in usage fees. This arrangement lacks transparency and accountability of the government-established CPBC.

POLL RESULTS FIND S. KOREAN'S AGAINST BULLFIGHTING

During 2025, LCA/ALW commissioned a public opinion survey through Hankook Research, targeting 1,000 residents of Gyeongsang Province, where most of the bullfighting events take place.

The results show overwhelming opposition to the current bullfighting system:

• 95.8% have never attended a bullfighting match
• 66.4% believe public funding should be redirected to education, welfare or public services
• 62.1% believe bullfighting has a negative impact on children and adolescents
• 53.4% support phasing out bullfighting, citing animal rights and shifting public awareness

ACTOR JIN SEON-KYU SUPPORTS BULLFIGHTING CAMPAIGN IN S. KOREA

Actor Jin Seon-kyu is the Korean language narrator for the LCA/ALW investigation video, and is also sharing this message, “Before we even recognized our own cruelty, the bulls had already felt it. The sorrow deepens when we realize that this pain is upheld, even funded, by public institutions. Let us finally free them from this cruelty. Truly free."

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Sign the petition to remove the bullfighting exemption from S. Korea's Animal Protection Act. S. Korea's Animal Protection Act bans cruelty for entertainment and prohibits dogfighting and cockfighting; however, bullfighting is exempt because it is protected under the label of "tradition".

LEARN ABOUT LCA AND ALW'S FIGHT THAT STOPPED THE DOG MEAT INDUSTRY IN S. KOREA