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` The 57th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is to be held in Ulsan, a city where one still senses the spirit of whales from the prehistoric age. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the IWC now has 61 member countries and was established in December 1946 with the systematic development of the whaling industry through the preservation and management of whaling resources as its goal. South Korea joined the IWC in 1978, and the upcoming meeting in Ulsan will be the first time the nation hosts the event. During the assembly from May 27-June 24, hundreds of relevant individuals from member governments and intergovernmental and non-intergovernmental organizations will be forming decisions on international whaling policies. The host city of Ulsan has a long-cherished whale culture and history, and is also home to national treasure #285, the Bangudae petroglyphs (so called because their location resembles a turtle lying on its stomach), which depicts whaling activities in the prehistoric age Jangsaengpo, a fishing village with a harbor where whaling took place from the late Joseon Dynasty through to 1986, the year commercial whaling came to an end and a monument to the migration of Eschrichtius robustus (gray whales). We expect the forthcoming IWC meeting to further encourage the participation of local citizens in preserving and managing their maritime ecosystem so that the gray whale may make a comeback and their powerful spouts once again be seen in the sea off of Ulsan.`