{
  "id": 2337902,
  "title": "Should Korea cull stray cats to save birds?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/should-korea-cull-stray-cats-to-save-birds-2337902",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-21T08:32:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/environment-animals/20260821/should-korea-cull-stray-cats-to-save-birds"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A fierce debate has erupted in South Korea over a YouTuber's campaign to ban the feeding of stray cats and reduce their numbers through culling. Ecologist and Ewha Womans University professor Choe Jae-chun has strongly opposed the idea, warning that there is no academic evidence supporting the notion that culling stray cats in Korea's ecosystem would protect endangered species or improve the environment.\n\nIn a video uploaded to his YouTube channel on Thursday, Choe explained why the campaign lacks scientific merit. He stated that the government now needs to address the issue after a petition, dubbed the \"Cat Mom Ban Law,\" and a counter-petition opposing it have both garnered more than 50,000 signatures each. The YouTuber who initiated the campaign, Korean Birder, filed the petition on July 10, proposing that residents should no longer feed stray cats.\n\nChoe argued that the proposal to ban feeding stray cats would be replaced by culling if the ban were enacted. He contended that the campaign overlooks the fact that trap-neuter-return programs, or TNR, are currently in place to manage the stray cat population. Choe insisted that culling stray cats is not a viable solution and would not effectively preserve endangered bird species protected under Korea's heritage protection system.",
  "summary": "As debate intensified over a YouTuber's campaign to ban the feeding of stray cats and reduce their population through culling, Choe Jae-chun, a chair professor at Ewha Womans University and one of Korea's leading ecologists, publicly rejected the proposal. Choe warned that the campaign lacks academic evidence applicable to Korea's ecosystem, making it impossible to conclude that reducing the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Should Korea cull stray cats to save birds?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/should-korea-cull-stray-cats-to-save-birds",
        "published": "2026-08-21T08:22:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}