Oppn writes to S Korea about whaling
OPPOSITION foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop has written to South Korea expressing the Coalition's "disappointment and disagreement" with its decision to resume whaling.
Ms Bishop has written to South Korea's Ambassador to Australia Taeyong Cho urging the country to reconsider its plans to end its 26-year moratorium on whaling.
"The South Korean government appears to be taking advantage of the loophole in the international ban on commercial whaling that allows the killing of whales for research," Ms Bishop said.
"It is important for any nation seeking to undertake research into whales to clearly articulate the nature of that research and why it cannot be undertaken through non-lethal means.
"A failure to explain the necessity for the killing of whales will lead Australia and other nations to the conclusion that it is commercial whaling disguised as research."
Prime Minister Julia Gillard condemned the action on Thursday and has asked Australia's ambassador in South Korea to raise the matter at the highest levels of government.
