N. American antlers illegally distributed in S. Korea: lawmaker

Import-banned antlers from North American elks are being distributed in South Korea as expensive Russian ones, a lawmaker said Sunday.

Bahk Jae-wan, a lawmaker at the main opposition Grand National Party, said antlers taken from North American elks, which have been under import ban for concerns that they might be infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD), are being sold here as high-priced Russian ones after being repackaged in China.

CWD, also known as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, is considered a kind of the "mad cow disease" among deer and American elks. It causes weight loss leading to death.

"I have heard from a Canadian antler exporter that North American products are being sold in South Korea after repackaging in China," Bahk said.

The lawmaker said, however, that he had no convincing data, including the amount of infected antlers being sold in South Korea.

South Koreans are avid consumers of deer antlers, considered a tonic and important ingredient in Oriental medicine.

While international prices of Russian antlers hover around US$300 per kilogram, they are sold more than double the price in South Korea with added tariffs. North American antlers are traded for around the $70-80 range worldwide.

"The smugglers can reap up to 10 times more in profits," Bahk said, adding that there are concerns that the illegal products could cause serious health problems.

Seoul, Sept. 3 (Yonhap News)