Press Release

Board View

Asian Black Bears Gave Birth to 4th Generation Cubs in Jirisan Mountain

▷ With five cubs born last winter, a total of seventy-nine bears are assumed to live stably


Sejong, June 03 - The Ministry of Environment (ME, Minister Han Wha-jin) and the Korea National Park Service (KNPS, Chairman Song Hyung-geun) announced three Asian black bears gave birth to five cubs. They found out about the newborn cubs during an investigation of Asian black bears' inhabitation. 


The total number of Asian black bears living in the wild in Jirisan Mountain is now assumed to be seventy-nine. Among them, the one to whom KF-94 (born in 2018) gave birth will mark a new era in the Asian black bear restoration project as it is ed to be the first 4th generation cub born in the wild since the project began in 2004. From mid-April to early May, the KNPS staff ed with their naked eyes and unmanned surveillance cameras that mother bears who woke up from hibernation came out of the hibernation den with their babies. The sexes of the cubs, however, have yet to be identified.


RF-05, one of the first six bears brought from Russia and released in Jirisan Mountain in 2004, is the oldest among the three mother bears that gave birth this time. Born in 2004, RF-05 has given birth in Jirisan Mountain seven times since 2009, totaling ten offspring following the two cubs born this year. Considering the average life span of an Asian black bear, RF-05 gave birth at the old age of 18. However, the KNPS concluded that RF-05 is in good condition and is actively caring for her cubs. KF-94, in particular, is a 3rd generation bear that made its first offspring this year. KF-94 was born in 2018 from KF-52. KF-52 was born in 2012 from RF-05. It makes RF-05 the first Asian black bear to see her own young and great-grandcub at the same time this year. There are now four generations of bears living together in Jirisan Mountain. KF-47, born in 2014,  also gave birth to two cubs this year. KF-47 had two cubs in 2018 and one in 2020.


KNPS Chairman Song Hyung-geun said, "This surely is great news for our Asian black bear restoration project. We will warn visitors to use only designated trails to ensure visitors' safety."


Kim Jong-ryul, Director-General of Nature Conservation Bureau, mentioned, "The 4th generation cubs prove that our restoration project has entered a stabilization stage. The success of our project is all the more meaningful because the local community came together to develop policies despite the difficulties. We will exert more effort to propagate a culture where wildlife and people can coexist."


Contact: Choi Young-hee, Senior Deputy Director

Biodiversity Division / +82-(0)44-201-7242 


Foreign Media Contact: CHUN Minjo

+82-(0)44-201-6055 / rachelmchun@korea.kr