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