Moon bears: Korean campaigners call for farm closures

Animal rights campaigners are asking the South Korean president for help to save hundreds of the country’s caged moon bears.

More than 400 bears are being kept on farms across the country. They’re waiting to be killed for their parts which some people use as medicine.

It’s legal in South Korea to slaughter the bears for their bile. The only other country which allows this is China.

The demand almost wiped out Korea’s native bear population and now campaigners believe the coronavirus pandemic has shown the potential risks of using wild animal parts as medicine.

Reporter: Laura Bicker, BBC Seoul correspondent