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| Wlld boars often descend from Bukhansan National Park to residential areas or hiking trails and pose threat to people. Eighty sightings of wild boar have been reported in downtown Seoul in the first six months of this year, according to the city government's report to the National Assembly's Security and Public Administration Committee. / Yonhap |
By Hong Dam-young
Eighty sightings of wild boars have been reported in downtown Seoul in the first six months of this year, according to the city government's report to the National Assembly's Security and Public Administration Committee. This is almost one sighting every two days.
The figure rose from 54 to 199 cases between 2012 and 2014, Yonhap news agency said. It dropped to 155 last year, but if it stays at the present rate it will exceed last year.
Jongno District has had the most sightings, accounting for 35 percent of the 623 cases reported between 2012 and June this year. Eunpyeong District and Seongbuk District were second and third.
The three regions are next to Bukhansan National Park, one of Korea's main wild boar habitats. The animals often descend from the mountains to residential areas or to hiking trails in search for food or when they leave their herd after losing power struggles.
The boars can be extremely dangerous when aggressive. On June 11, a man in his 70s was severely injured in an attack while he was working in a field in Goryeong, North Gyeongsang Province.
The city government has a task force that sets traps to catch the animals. The Korea National Park Service is also blocking routes and setting traps on routes the boars use from the national park.
"Given the frequency of reports of wild boars this year, the effectiveness of the measures taken by the city government are still in question," a committee official said.
