By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff Reporter
A county in North Gyeongsang Province is rolling up its sleeves to make it legal to bet on its most famous traditional event ― bullfighting.
Cheongdo County is mulling over allowing people to bet on the bulls, so that spectators have incentives to earn money as in horseracing, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Friday.
``Detailed plans are underway. And if they are confirmed, betting on bullfighting will be possible from as early as September,'' a ministry official said. The county must first get permission from the ministry.
Currently, it is illegal to bet on bullfighting. Regulations concerning traditional events allow spectators to bet money on the sport, but no provincial government has actually earned permission from the government up to date.
Cheongdo plans to turn bullfighting into a permanent event held on Saturdays and Sundays, according to the ministry.
Currently, it operates an annual bullfighting festival in the spring.
Korean-style bullfighting is fairly different from the more famous Spanish version, as bulls and men work in tandem against other teams.
The origins of Korean bullfights date back to the time when Korea was an agricultural society. In a match, bulls shove, butt and grunt against each other until one of them gives up or turns its back.
The county, which promotes bullfighting as a local attraction for tourists, has the nation's only outdoor stadium for the sport, with the capacity to seat 11,800 people.
If the plan is realized, the daily number of fights will be set at around 13, and there will also be a limit to the sum of money an individual can bet on each contests as well as a time limit for each unlike in its traditional form.
The government has recently revised related regulations so that provincial governments can entrust private companies to have more control in operating such events.
``This is aimed at attracting more private operators to bullfighting by ensuring profits,'' the ministry said.