As iconic dolphin celebrates birthday in Ulsan, critics decry aquarium captivity

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As iconic dolphin celebrates birthday in Ulsan, critics decry aquarium captivity

Published: 05 Jun. 2025, 18:57

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Dolphin Go Jang-su [JANGSAENGPO WHALE CULTURE ZONE]

In a former whaling port turned whale sanctuary, a dolphin named Go Jang-su is making waves for all the right reasons — and some of the wrong ones.

On June 13, Go Jang-su, the oldest surviving dolphin born in captivity in Korea, will celebrate his eighth birthday — a rare milestone in the marine mammal world. Weighing 250 kilograms (551 pounds) and stretching 275 centimeters (9 feet), he’s come a long way since his fragile birth in 2017, when survival odds for captive-born dolphins ranged between 20 and 40 percent.

His name, meaning “long life” in Korean, was both a hope and a gamble. Born at just 120 centimeters and 20 kilograms, Go Jang-su was the third calf of his mother, Jang Kkot-bun, who had previously lost two newborns. But with 24/7 care from four marine animal welfare specialists and constant attention from Kkot-bun, he pulled through. His father, Go A-rong, died in 2020 at 18.

His story is tightly woven into the identity of Jangsaengpo, Ulsan’s historic whaling district that has since recast itself as Korea’s only officially designated whale cultural zone. Today, the area hosts the Whale Museum and Whale Life Experience Center — symbols of a community attempting to reconcile its past with a more conservation-minded future.

Dolphin Go Jang-su [JANGSAENGPO WHALE CULTURE ZONE]

Locals don’t just celebrate Go Jang-su — they claim him. He and his dolphin family hold mock resident registration certificates from the Jangsaengpo Civil Affairs Office. Kkot-bun is listed as head of household, with Go Jang-su and two aunts, Jang Du-ri and Jang Do-dam, registered as family. His ID number starts with 170613, marking his birth date and his status as the area's first native-born dolphin.

Jang Kkot-bun’s ID begins with 091008, the date she was relocated from Wakayama, Japan, to Ulsan on Oct. 8, 2009.

The Whale Culture Zone plans to celebrate Go Jang-su’s birthday with a special event.

The eighth and 88th visitors will receive a plush doll of “Jangsaeng-i,” a mascot modeled after a gray whale, on June 13.

Trainers will also serve Go Jang-su a fattier-than-usual Pacific saury as a birthday treat. In the evening, he will blow out candles on a birthday cake.

“Dolphins have birthdays and families just like we do,” said Kim Seul-gi, deputy director of the Whale Culture Zone. “Go Jang-su continues to live healthily as a symbolic figure of Ulsan, the whale city.”

But his story also highlights the ongoing debate over keeping dolphins in captivity.

Environmental groups argue that marine mammals like dolphins — known for their intelligence and social nature — should live freely in the ocean, not confined to small tanks.

They maintain that aquarium environments are emotionally and physically unsuitable for such species.

As of 2025, 22 dolphins live in aquariums across Korea, including Jeju.

Go Jang-su’s tank measures 17 meters (55 feet) in length and 5.2 meters in depth, holding 1,100 tons of filtered seawater drawn from nearby waters.

A secondary pool with a depth of 4 meters provides additional space. Water temperature is maintained at a steady 21 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit).

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM YOUN-HO [[email protected]]