BLACK CORALS DIE-OFF IN JEJUDO ISLAND

[Anchor Lead]

Colonies of beautiful corals inhabit waters off Munseom Island near Seogwipo, Jeju-do Island. But an environmental group released a video that shows black corals, Korea’s Natural Monument No. 456, perishing out there in large numbers.

[Pkg]

Waters off Seogwipo. Famous for colonies of beautiful corals. They seem to resemble snow-covered pine trees. These are the endangered black corals, Korea’s Natural Monument No. 456. But it's a completely different scene, right next to the corals. Sea anemones are attached to long coral branches and some have lost their unique color, leaving only bare skeletons. This scene stands in stark contrast to the one filmed by KBS five years ago. An environmental group has studied waters off Munseom Island near Seogwipo for the past two months. It released a video of black corals dying in great numbers.

[Soundbite] YUN SANG-HUN(GREEN KOREA) : "There were more sea anemones than we thought. They were mostly living off the protected coral species like black corals."

No definite cause of death has been found. The environmental group can only assume the luster sea anemones that live off the black corals had something to do with it.

[Soundbite] PROF. HWANG SUNG-JIN(WOOSUK UNIV.) : "Climate change or influx of organic compounds may have caused the sea anemone population increase. More detailed studies of marine environment must be carried out to determine the exact cause."

The National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea plans to study whether a greater number of sea anemones in the southern coastal areas is just a momentary phenomenon, and whether it is related to coral mortality.