Asiatic black bear population a conservation success story, but residents see writing on wall

A conservation success story is both a blessing for nature and a concern for residents near Jirisan National Park, as researchers endeavor to establish a habitat for endangered Asiatic black bears.

Asiatic black bears at Mount Jiri education center [CHON KWON-PIL]

GURYE COUNTY, South Jeolla — A conservation success story is both a blessing for nature and a concern for residents near Jirisan National Park, as researchers endeavor to establish a habitat for endangered Asiatic black bears.

The number of Asiatic black bears in Korea was estimated at 96 as of the end of last year, with at least two cubs confirmed earlier this year, according to the National Park Institute for Wildlife Conservation. The increase marks a major recovery from 2004, when six were brought over from Russia in a bid to boost the population.

Jirisan National Park, located in southern Korea, has been the center of a decades-long government effort to restore the Asiatic black bear population after it nearly disappeared from the country due to poaching and habitat loss. The increase, however, now highlights a growing dilemma between conservation success and public safety. Authorities are managing 14 Asiatic black bears at a facility in Gurye County within the park after they failed to adapt to the wild or caused repeated problems, aiming to reduce conflicts with humans.

“This bear is named Cheonwangi. We took him in in 2007 after he was discovered eating food brought by hikers at Cheonwang Peak,” said Kim Han-ul, the manager of the National Park Institute for Wildlife Conservation, introducing one of the facility's charges. “He's over 20 years old now. That's old enough to be a grandfather in bear years.”

The bears’ habitat has expanded significantly with the population growth. Data from GPS-tracked bears shows that their roaming range increased from 154 square kilometers (38,050 acres) in 2005 to 541 square kilometers last year — about a three-and-a-half-fold increase. The area now approaches the size of Seoul, which spans 605.21 square kilometers.

Asiatic black bears brought from Russia in 2020 [CHON KWON-PIL]

Initially concentrated near release sites in 2005, the bears had spread across all of Jirisan National Park by 2015. They had begun moving beyond the park into surrounding areas in North Jeolla and South Gyeongsang, including Jangan Mountain in Jangsu County, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Mount Jiri, last year. The spread extended to the southern regions of Korea, including Chilseong Peak and Ungseok Peak.

“Most bears moving outside Mount Jiri are male and appear to move back and forth because there are no females in those areas,” said Lee Si-hyeon, the head of the habitat conservation department at the wildlife conservation institute.

However, the good news for the bears was met with mixed reactions from local residents.

“We’ve somewhat adjusted to living with the bears, but if their numbers grow too much, we worry about potential damage,” said Lee Ok-ju, a village head in Gurye County.

“Restoring an endangered species is a good thing, but when the authorities restrict our access to the mountains during hibernation and we’re not allowed to gather anything from the mountains, it sometimes feels like bears are treated better than people,” said Park Dong-shik, the head of Pyeongdo village in South Jeolla.

Damage also occurs every year as bears break into apiaries, eat honey and break equipment. From 2004 to 2025, 608 cases have been reported, 84 percent of which involved beehives. Last year alone, 18 such incidents led to compensation payouts totaling 70 million won ($47,511).

Children sing at a festival held to promote coexistence between residents in the Mount Jiri region and Asiatic black bears. [CHON KWON-PIL]

The conservation institute has taken preventive measures ahead of the bears’ active season after hibernation. Electric fences have been installed around apiaries, and bear bells, which make noise to alert wildlife to human presence, have been placed along mountain ridges to alert hikers.

“Most bears avoid humans, but most of the recent damage has been caused by two problematic bears,” said the institute's Lee. “Recapturing those bears is being considered if conflicts continue.”

Bears have been a growing threat in neighboring Japan, where 224 people were injured last year, while 13 were killed. The surge has raised fears that similar conflicts could emerge in Korea as bear populations grow.

Following the concerns, plans to expand the restoration project along the Baekdudaegan mountain range have effectively stalled. Four bears brought from Russia in 2020 have been kept in enclosures without release for seven years.

“In the past, the focus of the restoration project was on increasing the population, but going forward, the challenge will be how to manage the bears as they naturally expand their habitat,” said Yang Du-ha, the director of the National Park Institute for Wildlife Conservation.

A warning sign about Asiatic black bears hangs along a trail in Jirisan National Park. [CHON KWON-PIL]

Experts say management should focus on bears that repeatedly cause conflict or pose risks to people.

“Protecting the public from adverse interactions with bears is paramount to the continued success of this program,” said Dave Garshelis, co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Bear Specialist Group, in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. “Social acceptance and coexistence come not from the absence of conflicts, but from an understanding and appreciation that conflicts are being well managed to the extent possible."

Setting a socially acceptable population level is also important. In Japan, the bear population has increased to around 50,000, while the human rural population has sharply declined, weakening the boundary between humans and bears.

“Most residents in rural areas are [older adults], and as a result, they are no longer able to carry out the necessary measures to prevent bear intrusions,” said Koji Yamazaki, a former professor at the Department of Forest Science at the Tokyo University of Agriculture. “I believe the first step is to determine an appropriate population level for [Mount Jiri] that aligns with the environmental carrying capacity, and then manage both the population and distribution accordingly. This consideration includes not only ecological aspects but also the socially acceptable number of bears."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY CHON KWON-PIL [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]