Statistics show that the number of mountain goats, Natural Monument No. 217, found dead from November last year to this March, reached 537. As more than a quarter of domestic goats have been confirmed to have died, some criticized that it is a man-made disaster caused by the Ministry of Environment which left fences that were built to prevent the African Swine Fever (ASF) unattended.

According to the 'List of Reported Losses of Mountain Goats' obtained by Kyunghyang Shinmun from the Cultural Heritage Administration on April 1, the number of mountain goats that died between November last year and March 23 was 537. As of the end of February, 260 more were sacrificed from 277, which the Cultural Heritage Administration had counted. The number is more than a quarter of the approximately 2,000 mountain goats living in Korea.

According to annual statistics on the deaths of mountain goats, six deaths were confirmed in 2019 and surged to 97 in 2020. This was followed by 46 confirmed deaths in 2021, 50 in 2022, and 85 in 2023. Since 2019, when the fences for preventing the spread of the ASF were intensively built in Gangwon Province, the number of mountain goats killed has reached 805. This is 40 percent of the total number of mountain goats.

By region, many carcasses were found in the mountainous areas of Gangwon Province near the Civilian Control Line and around Seoraksan National Park. The largest number of them was found in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, where 225 were found, followed by Hwacheon with 211 and Goseong with 57. In Seoraksan National Park, 62 mountain goats were found dead. These areas have been hit by heavy snow last winter, and the AFC fences, which are pointed out as the main cause of the mass death of wild goats, have been installed very closely. They are also places where many wild animals are isolated in small areas due to double fences built by the Ministry of Environment and local governments.

Environmental groups are concerned that in addition to the confirmed deaths of mountain goats, which account for 26.9 percent of the total population last winter, there may be additional carcasses in areas on the civilian control line that are difficult to investigate and in Seoraksan National Park, which is difficult to confirm as it has been during the forest fire control period. In fact, the number of carcasses is increasing as the snow melts and the number of areas accessible to humans increases, according to monitoring by Citizens for the Protection of National Parks.

In particular, it is pointed out that the Ministry of Environment's inaction even after February, when the mass deaths of mountain goats were confirmed, has exacerbated the damage. Even after it was confirmed that 277 mountain goats had died by the end of February, the ministry did not take necessary measures, such as the selective opening of the ASF fences, and additionally a similar number of them died between last November and February. This is why some point out that the areas near the Civil Control Line and Seoraksan National Park are becoming the cemetery of mountain goats amid the neglect of the Ministry of Environment.

Concerns have been raised even before the fences were installed that they would fragment the habitats of wild animals, including mountain goats, and isolate animals, adversely affecting them. Such reality was confirmed in the Ministry of Environment's research report last year and this year's local monitoring of environmental organizations. However, the ministry has only recently ordered its affiliated organizations to investigate the fences that need to be opened.

"The Ministry of Environment is largely to blame for the mass deaths of wild animals that have been designated and protected as an endangered species and are undergoing breeding projects with huge budgets,” said Jeong In-cheol, secretary general of the Citizens for the Protection of National Parks. "If it is an ecologically advanced country, it is a serious issue that the environment minister should resign. The environment minister should apologize and immediately open the fences in ecologically important areas to prevent further sacrifices."