By Hahm Hee-eun

With the steady increase in the number of households with animal companions, the Korean government has further improved animal welfare by revising the nation's Animal Protection Act.

According to a survey conducted by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency in December last year, the number of households with animal companions hovers at around 50 percent, and it has been steadily increasing since 2012. In line with this, the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) reported that not only the pet food and pet supplies industries, but also a variety of related pet services, such as funerals, cremations and insurance, are also growing rapidly.

The existing animal protection law has focused more on the etiquette and safety duties of dog owners, rather than actual animal protection and the penalization of animal abuse. In order to strengthen penalties concerning animal cruelty or negligence, the government introduced a new bill that would supplement the existing law.

On March 26, a constitutional amendment was formally proposed by Cheong Wa Dae. The amendment includes a clause covering the obligation to enforce environmental and animal protection policies. It states that, "The nation establishes and practices a policy for animal protection.”

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs also revised the Animal Protection Act on March 22. Concerning animal abuse, the amendment specifically added negligence in extreme heat or cold, force-feeding of food or water, or animal fighting, such as dogfights. In the case of a violation, a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine of KRW 20 million could be applied. Also starting with this new law, it's possible to apply a fine of up to KRW 3 million for animal abandonment or KRW 600,000 for nonregistered animal owners.

Local governments are also taking steps to protect animals. Starting this year, Jeollabuk-do and Jeju-do have supported the adoption of shelter dogs by covering medical expenses. Following this, Gyeonggi-do plans to invest KRW 650 million this year to support expenses related to more than 6,500 shelter animal adoptions.

Animal activists have expressed their welcome of these improvements.

Park So-yeon, the head of the animal rights organization Care, said, "Specification of the animal protection policy in the constitutional amendment is one of the most progressive reforms in the past 20 years of animal rights in Korea.”

Lee Hyung-joo, head of the Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education foundation (AWARE), said, "I couldn't imagine these changes five or six years ago. I really welcome the government’s support, and I hope that more changes will take place from now on."


hehahm@korea.kr