Hanwha Aqua Planet Jeju (아쿠아 플라넷 제주) is an aquarium that opened in 2012 in the

Jeju Province Jeju Province, officially Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, is one of the nine provinces of South Korea. The province comprises Jeju Island (; ), formerly transliterated as Cheju or Cheju Do, the country's largest island. It was previously kno ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. It is an aquarium operated by Aqua Planet and is the largest

public aquarium A public aquarium (plural: ''public aquaria'' or ''public Water Zoo'') is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, which houses living aquatic animal and plant specimens for public viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept b ...

in South Korea.

Exhibits

Aqua Planet Jeju, It consists of three marine-themed halls, consisting of an "ocean arena" (performance hall) and a "marine science" (science museum) and "aquarium". The main tank, The Sea of Jeju, has a water volume of and is the largest tank in South Korea. Large sharks and rays such as

Sand Tiger The sand tiger shark (''Carcharias taurus''), gray nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy sh ...

and

Giant guitarfish The giant guitarfish (''Rhynchobatus djiddensis''), also known as the whitespotted wedgefish, is a large species of guitarfish in the family Rhinidae. It is restricted to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and western Indian Ocean, but was formerly con ...

are bred in the aquarium. There is also a tunnel inside the aquarium. The main creatures are

penguins Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

sea lions Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

walruses The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the fami ...

arapaima gigas ''Arapaima gigas'', also known as pirarucu, is a species of arapaima native to the basin of the Amazon River. Once believed to be the sole species in the genus, it is among the largest freshwater fish. The species is an obligate air-breather, so ...

sand tiger shark The sand tiger shark (''Carcharias taurus''), gray nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy sho ...

giant grouper The giant grouper (''Epinephelus lanceolatus''), also known as the Queensland grouper, brindle grouper or mottled-brown sea bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serr ...

s. In addition, the public aquarium carries out regular beach cleaning and underwater purification work, and has established South Korea's first specialized medical center for marine life, and is engaged in many activities for the conservation of marine life. In addition, Aqua Planet Jeju has educational programs such as a diving experience program in the main tank and an ecological briefing session for otters and penguins. Aqua Planet Jeju has started a special exhibition of Minions for about a year from July 31, 2020.

Shows

The aquarium has a large dolphin and walrus show. Many shows are held in Ocean arena and are hosted by the Eastern European Synchronized Swimming Team.

Controversies

Initially, two

whale sharks The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, ...

and one

manta ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular Pectoral fin#AnchPect ...

were captivity in the main tank. However, it received a lot of criticism from animal rights groups because one whale shark and one manta ray died. An official at Aqua Planet Jeju explained that "the cause of death of fish is chronic renal failure and there is no cure", but public opinion moved to release the remaining whale shark, so it was tagged and released.

Notes

External links

* *(en) {{Zoos of South Korea Aquaria in South Korea Jeju Province 2012 establishments in South Korea

Exhibits

Shows

Controversies

See also

Notes

External links