Update! Whale Activists Stand their Ground: Eviction Notice Rescinded

After uncovering plans by the Korean government to build a whale meat factory in the city of Ulsan, we established a Whale Embassy to meet with local people and call for cancellation of factory plans.  But we were served with an eviction notice ordering us to leave by May 16.  Thanks to thousands of you contacting the mayor on our behalf, the police did not enforce the eviction. 

However, residents of the neighborhood decided to take matters into their own hands.  On May 24, the group held a press conference saying that if we do not leave by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, that they can not be held responsible for what happens to us in the Embassy.

Our activists are trained to handle confrontations and to remain peaceful in the face of hostility.  More often than not, these confrontations are with law enforcement personnel who are also trained and we generally have a fairly good idea of what to expect.  An angry mob in Korea, however, would be far from predictable.  Our activists prepared themselves for the worst, knowing that vacating the embassy was not an option.

Moment of Truth

It all began at 6:00 p.m. as promised. As the local development association leaders walked into the embassy, the police cars idled to a halt outside.

The local leaders spoke at length about the history of their community.  As they were addressing us, their hands were visibly shaking and it became clear that they didn't want to fight.  They explained that it was not really the whale embassy that bothered them, but rather the mound of rubble adjacent to our embassy, where we had erected a mast reading "extinction starts here."  Littered all around the mound we placed makeshift whale tails.

We explained that the display was meant to illustrate the fate of whales if whaling is resumed.  We offered to remove the mounds as an expression of goodwill toward the fishing community, which apparently was the olive branch the group was hoping for.  We went on to say that we would like to help find alternative ways to economically revive the community in a sustainable but profitable way.

 In response, the president of the community group said he wanted to learn about whale watching and would welcome all the advice that we could give him.  Another member of the group spoke up and said that he would like to get the children from Jangsaengpo school to come and meet us and help design banners for oceans day to hang from the mast.  Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, they announced we were welcome to stay at our embassy until the conclusion of the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) meeting which begins June 20.

The meeting ended in a spontaneous round of applause, as if we were all suddenly in a John Hughes film.  We agreed to continue our dialogue in the coming weeks.  Hopefully, we will be able to persuade this community to live up to it's nickname "the city of whales" instead of pursuing a future as a "city of whaling."

Take action!

Our work here is not finished.  When the IWC meets this June, it will determine the fate of thousands of whales.  Lend your support to our visual protest by uploading your picture for our Virtual March.