"Restrictions on Importing Wildlife Transmitting Infectious Diseases"... Ministry of Environment Establishes Legal Basis

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Legal grounds have been established to restrict the import of wild animals that can transmit infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The Ministry of Environment announced that the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, which restricts the import permits of wild animals that carry infectious diseases, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 19th and will be promulgated and enforced on the 27th.

With this amendment, when a crisis alert of "caution" or higher is issued under the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety, the import and entry permits of wild animals suspected of carrying or transmitting diseases can be restricted.

Until now, there was no direct legal basis to restrict import permits on the grounds of zoonotic diseases when importing wild animals.

The Ministry of Environment has been implementing import restriction measures such as customs clearance suspension in cooperation with the Korea Customs Service for wild animals potentially carrying viruses since the outbreak of COVID-19. This amendment to the enforcement decree establishes clear legal grounds for such import restrictions.

Since the import restriction measures on wild animals suspected of carrying COVID-19, only two cases of species belonging to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), specifically ball pythons, have been permitted for import. The Ministry of Environment confirmed their safety from COVID-19 through quarantine certificates.

Park Yeon-jae, Director of Natural Conservation Policy at the Ministry of Environment, stated, "As diseases carried by wild animals increase, this amendment will enable immediate action against diseases transmitted by wild animals."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.