South Korean wildlife authorities will hand over 28 turtles from four endangered species to Vietnam on Tuesday, returning them to the country from which they were smuggled.
The transfer marks Korea’s seventh wildlife repatriation case under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
According to the National Institute of Ecology, the turtles include four Indochinese box turtles and two Bourret’s box turtles, both of which are critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
They also include 10 keeled box turtles and 12 black-breasted leaf turtles, which are classified as endangered.
The turtles were smuggled into South Korea and seized by customs authorities at Incheon Airport and the airport’s international mail customs office between November 2023 and September 2025.
They have since been housed at a CITES wildlife protection facility in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province.
After being transferred to Vietnam, the turtles will be sent to the Turtle Conservation Center in Cuc Phuong National Park, where they will undergo rehabilitation to restore natural behaviors before being released into the wild.
An NIE official said the center was selected as a temporary sanctuary because it is one of the region’s largest freshwater and terrestrial turtle conservation facilities and plays a key role in preserving native turtle species in Southeast Asia.
The transfer marks the seventh case since 2023 in which South Korean authorities have returned smuggled wildlife to overseas conservation facilities.
Although South Korea joined CITES in 1993, wildlife smuggling cases detected in the country have been rising, increasing from seven in 2021 to 31 last year, largely driven by the illegal pet trade.
The National Institute of Ecology said it would continue strengthening international cooperation on biodiversity conservation, including the repatriation of smuggled or abandoned CITES-listed animals and other restoration efforts.
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