Phoca largha Pallas, 1811 p.113; Type locality- eastern coast of Kamchatka; Won & Smith, 1999 p.29; Kim, 2004 p.194. P. vitulina: Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.328; Won, 1968 p.336.
P. vitulina largha: Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.328; Won, 1958 p.436; Won, 1968 p.338.
Range: A large colony of several hundred P. largha migrates annually through the Yellow Sea, East Sea, and Korea Strait and moves onto Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea (Won & Yoo 2004; Fig. 64). Also, several individuals reside along the coast in small rocky islets near Gyeongpo beach, Gangneung City in the East Sea and Garorim Bay in the Yellow Sea (NIBR 2015).
Remarks: Based on external appearances, harbor and spotted seals are not readily distinguishable from each other. The two species are very similar in appearance, but the spots of the harbor seal tend to appear more faded and sparser on the underside of the body. The spotted seal is slightly smaller than the harbor seal and has a darker face and muzzle, and there are behavioral differences between the two species (Shirihai & Jarrett 2006). MtDNA studies confirmed the respective uniqueness of harbor and spotted seals at the species level (O’Corry-Crowe & Westlake 1997).
Conservation status: The Cultural and Heritage Administration in South Korea designated P. largha as a Natural Monument in 1982, followed by a declaration as an Endangered Species in 1997 by the Ministry of Environment and a Protected Marine Species in 2007 by the Ministry of Land, Transports and Maritime Affairs. Korean populations are regarded as ‘Endangered’ in both the North and South Korean Red Data Books (MAB National Committee of DPR Korea 2002; NIBR 2012). Populations declined from 8,000 individuals in 1940s to 2,300 in 1980s and 600–800 in 2010 (NIBR 2012).