South Korea is proposing to hunt whales under regulations permitting scientific research whaling, echoing the programmes of its neighbour, Japan.


Hunting would take place near the Korean coast on minke whales. How many would be caught is unclear.


The South Korean delegation to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) said the research was needed "for the proper assessment of whale stocks".


Many governments at the IWC meeting condemned the Korean announcement.


There are several different stocks, or groups, of minke whales in the region, and one of the them, the so-called J-stock, is severely depleted.


Given that fact, "we believe that scientific whaling on this stock borders on the reckless," New Zealand's delegation head, Gerard van Bohemen said.


But Joon-Suk Kang, the head of the South Korean delegation, said the programme was necessary to answer questions about minke whale stocks that non-lethal research had been unable to solve.


He said the proposal was not finalised, and that whaling would not begin until plans had been discussed by an international group of expert scientists convened by the IWC.


The Koreans' eventual stated aim is to prepare the ground for a resumption of "coastal whaling" - a rather vague concept that Japan is also pursuing, and that would see whale hunting return as a normal activity.