{
  "id": 15562097,
  "title": "Reconstructed skeleton of extinct Dokdo sea lion goes on display in Seoul",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/reconstructed-skeleton-of-extinct-dokdo-sea-lion-goes-on-display-in-15562097",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T05:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/environment-animals/20261019/reconstructed-skeleton-of-extinct-dokdo-sea-lion-goes-on-display-in-seoul"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A life-sized replica of the extinct Dokdo sea lion's skeleton made its debut at Seoul Station on Monday, providing the public with an unprecedented view of the marine mammal's physical anatomy. The reconstruction is based on 41 genuine bone fragments discovered in 2020, supplemented by 3D-printed elements to fill in the gaps. The exhibition is situated on the second floor of Seoul Station, where it will be on display until October 25. Coordinated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, the exhibit highlights how advanced digital modeling can be employed to recreate vanished biological specimens for educational purposes. Once widespread across the coastal areas of Korea, Japan, and Russia, with Ulleung Island and Dokdo as its main habitats and breeding grounds, the Dokdo sea lion experienced a dramatic decline due to unregulated commercial hunting in the early 20th century. In 1994, the International Union for Conservation of Nature officially classified the species as extinct. The researchers constructed the full-scale frame by assembling the authentic bones and complementing them with digitally generated replicas.",
  "summary": "A full-scale reconstruction of an extinct Dokdo sea lion’s skeleton went on public view at Seoul Station, Monday, offering a rare look at the physical structure of a marine mammal wiped out by overhunting in the 20th century. The assembly relies on 41 authentic bone fragments recovered in 2020, with 3D-printed replicas filling in the missing pieces. The exhibition is located on the second-floor…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Reconstructed skeleton of extinct Dokdo sea lion goes on display in Seoul",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/reconstructed-skeleton-of-extinct-dokdo-sea-lion-goes-on-display-in",
        "published": "2026-10-19T04:47:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}