Whale Embassy threatened!

Our 'Whale Embassy' volunteers in Ulsan, Korea have just received a threatening letter telling them to vacate the site within 24 hours or face the "consequences".

The letter, delivered by representatives of the Jangsaengpo Development Agency, accuses us of some bizarre things, such as threatening ladies' exercises and scaring teenagers, but mainly of preventing an economic recovery by opposing a planned whale meat factory and whale (or whaling) museum.

The truth is whaling - especially 'scientific' whaling - cannot bring an economic recovery.

In early April, Greenpeace exposed plans by the Korean government to build a whale and dolphin meat processing plant in Ulsan - adding to the growing evidence that Korea wants to resume commercial whaling.

The factory is planned for the very city that will host this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which was set up to halt the loss of whale populations.

We set up our Whale Embassy near the site of the planned factory to open dialogue with the local people, call for the government to scrap the factory plans and seek assurances that Korea will not bow to pressure from Japan to resume commercial whaling.

The angry mob that visited our Whale Embassy on 25 May are not representative of all the views in the area. Many of Ulsan's citizens have been visiting our embassy, drinking tea with our volunteers, and even cooking meals for the team!

Although South Korea has no official whaling industry, if a whale or dolphin is caught in a fishing net it can be sold for a huge price. In 2004, the average price of a mature minke whale was US$100,000.

City officials are not happy with us tarnishing Ulsan's reputation as the 'city of whales' with our suggestion that it is heading towards becoming the 'city of whaling'. Our eviction notice claims we are "in the way" of their proposed Oceans Day ceremony on 31 May.

Greenpeace oceans campaigner Jim Wickens said: "The Whale Embassy and our personal safety have been threatened by violence all so that they can prepare for an Oceans' Day ceremony on this very site - but how can the government seriously consider celebrating the oceans on the site of a proposed whale meat factory? It would be funny, if the consequences for the whales were not so serious."