The International Whaling Commission, the international regulator for the whaling industry, has been meeting in Panama City this week...

Delegates include Humane Society International, the conservation charity that has condemned the plans and is calling on pro whale conservationists to up their campaigning work.

The announcement by South Korea has also received condemnation from whale friendly nations including New Zealand.

It is thought South Korea will go after minke whales in the Sea of Japan.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), is also amongst the conservation charities condemning the plans...

WDCS spokeswoman Vanessa Tossenberger says: "It's incredible that some countries still argue that they need to kill whales in order to conduct scientific research...

"Japan has killed more than 20,000 whales to conduct this ‘research’ since the ban on commercial whaling came into effect when many non-lethal methods are available..."

The South Korea move is widely believed to be a means of opening up options for commercial whaling.

Other disappointments by whale conservation charities from Panama include the commission's rejection of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary proposal...

A humpback whale hunting plan for St Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean was also approved...

The current 64th meeting of the International Whaling Commission was being seen as a crucial crossroads for the whale conservation movement, with whales under intense threats right now due to commercial fishing bycatch and oil and gas explorations.

However, early decisions in Panama look like a major setback for the international whale conservation movement.

Meanwhile, environmental charities including Humane Society International are calling on pro-whale conservationists to back their campaigns seeking to urge whaling nations like Japan to stop their activities and also create better protections for whales from environmental pollution including oil spills...

Key themes of whale campaigners include the need for lobbying pro whale nations (i.e. Japan) to stop whaling and also the supporting of efforts to create whale sanctuaries for whales to be able to flourish instead of being harmed...