Frequent otter sightings a good sign for environment but animals themselves remain at risk
Published: 17 Feb. 2026, 15:06
![Otters photographed by Lee Kwang-joo in Dalcheon Stream and Hoamji Reservoir in Chungju, North Chungcheong. Lee filmed multiple otters in the area between December last year and January this year and uploaded the footage to YouTube. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/17/237d94ca-daf3-4b55-b842-b422e7513e62.jpg)
Otters photographed by Lee Kwang-joo in Dalcheon Stream and Hoamji Reservoir in Chungju, North Chungcheong. Lee filmed multiple otters in the area between December last year and January this year and uploaded the footage to YouTube. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
On Jan. 16, local photographer Lee Kwang-joo uploaded some striking YouTube footage of five otters playing at a reservoir located in the middle of a residential district in Chungju, North Chungcheong.
Unfazed by the urban surroundings, the otters were seen swimming between reflections of apartment buildings on the water’s surface and hunting fish at night. Lee also photographed otters several times between December last year and this January at the Hoamji reservoir and along the connected Dalcheon Stream.
Since the start of the new year, reports of otter sightings have been pouring in from cities across the country. On Jan. 25, one was spotted at Banwol Lake in Gunpo, Gyeonggi; on Jan. 27, three were seen in Seochang Stream near Maewol 2 Bridge in Geumho-dong, Gwangju; and on Jan. 31, two were discovered near Samsanji in Samcheon-dong neighborhoods in Jeonju.
![At around 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 9, an employee of Young Poong’s Seokpo zinc smelter in Seokpo-myeon, Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang, filmed three otters in the river in front of the facility while on the way to work. [YOUNG POONG GROUP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/17/2b8ca81a-2e4b-4f74-b69c-33868b7f1d53.jpg)
At around 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 9, an employee of Young Poong’s Seokpo zinc smelter in Seokpo-myeon, Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang, filmed three otters in the river in front of the facility while on the way to work. [YOUNG POONG GROUP]
Otters require clean water — classified as Grade 1 or 2 in Korea’s water quality system — along with abundant food and riverside spaces where they can dig dens. For this reason, they are considered an “indicator species,” meaning their presence reflects the ecological health and recovery of a region.
When three otters were observed in the upper reaches of the Nakdong River near the Seokpo zinc smelter in Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang, in early January, Young Poong Group, the smelter’s parent company, promoted the sighting as evidence of its environmental improvement efforts, including the operation of a “zero wastewater discharge system.”
About 75 otters killed by roadkill annually… concerns raised over “publicity without protection”
Although otters are increasingly being spotted nationwide, their survival remains precarious. According to a 2023 report by the National Institute of Ecology on roadkill hot spots, 301 otters were killed in road accidents between 2019 and 2022, making them the second-most frequently killed legally protected species after leopard cats (712 cases). On average, roughly 75 otters are killed by vehicles each year.
Eurasian otters in Korea have been designated as a Class 1 Endangered Wildlife species since 2012 and protected as a Natural Monument (No. 330) since 1982. Internationally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists them as “Near Threatened,” meaning they could be at risk of extinction in the future.
![Locations of roadkill incidents involving endangered species — the leopard cat and Eurasian otter — recently published in the international journal Animal Cells and Systems by Prof. Jang Yi-kwon of Ewha Womans University and Prof. Kim Ki-yoon of Chungbuk National University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Yellow markers indicate otter cases. [ANIMAL CELLS AND SYSTEMS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/17/72bef9f0-097f-470e-bc0e-4fa98b06603b.jpg)
Locations of roadkill incidents involving endangered species — the leopard cat and Eurasian otter — recently published in the international journal Animal Cells and Systems by Prof. Jang Yi-kwon of Ewha Womans University and Prof. Kim Ki-yoon of Chungbuk National University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Yellow markers indicate otter cases. [ANIMAL CELLS AND SYSTEMS]
“Although otters have returned to Seoul, frequent river maintenance projects mean they are active only in tributaries rather than the main channel of the Han River,” civic group Otter Conservation Network said in a statement. “Instead of simply promoting the fact that otters have appeared, authorities urgently need to enhance the natural characteristics of rivers and investigate and address the threats facing otters.”
In the European Union, the Eurasian otter is regarded as an “umbrella species” in freshwater ecosystems — meaning that protecting it also safeguards many other species because of its strict habitat requirements. The EU integrates river basin management plans with habitat and bird protection directives, such as EU's largest coordinated network of protected areas, called Natura 2000, so that water quality and river flow policies are implemented alongside wildlife conservation measures.
The otte specialist group at the IUCN has recommended measures to reduce roadkill, including installing ecological passages under bridges and guide fencing to ensure that rivers continue to function as safe wildlife corridors.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HEO JEONG-WON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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