Whale carcass found on southwestern beach

BUAN, South Korea, March 24 (Yonhap) -- A whale carcass has been found on a beach on an islet off the southwestern coast, officials said Friday.

The 10-meter-long whale was found by a resident on a sandy beach on an islet in Buan County, 204 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 7 p.m. on Thursday, the local Coast Guard said.

The animal is presumed to be a Bryde's whale, an endangered species, whose trade is strictly prohibited.

There were no signs of illegal capture, according to the authorities.

The Coast Guard and the whale research center of the National Institute of Fisheries Science will conduct an investigation into the whale's death, they said.
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