Animal Abusers May Be Banned from Keeping Animals for Up to Five Years... "Animal-Keeping Ban Orders" to Be Introduced Next October

Amendments to the Animal Protection Act promulgated on the 27th; to take effect in one year
Animal abuse offenders barred from receiving animals as gifts or adopting them from local governments
Fines of up to 1 million won for violating care and management duties, including failing to use a leash

Starting in October 2027, people who commit serious animal abuse crimes, such as killing or injuring animals, may be prohibited from keeping animals for up to five years. This is under amendments to the Animal Protection Act aimed at preventing repeat abuse and expanding protections for animals.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on October 26 that a partial amendment to the Animal Protection Act containing these provisions was promulgated on October 27.

A ministry official said, "As part of the government's policy agenda, these amendments were prepared starting late last year in consultation with animal protection groups, academics and experts. They focus on expanding measures to prevent repeat animal abuse and strengthening the safety net so that people and animals can coexist." The official added, "The amended law will take effect on October 28, 2027, one year after promulgation."

◆Measures to protect abused animals, including a ban on keeping animals for abusers= The amendments establish a legal basis for courts to prohibit people convicted of serious animal abuse crimes from keeping animals for up to five years. If the owner of an abused animal is indicted for an animal abuse crime, the period during which the animal is protected may be extended until the judgment becomes final. People convicted of animal abuse crimes will also be barred from receiving animals as gifts or adopting them from local governments for a specified period.

The amendments also allow fines of up to 1 million won for violations of the duty to provide proper care and management for companion animals. The ministry expects this to address shortcomings in the previous system, under which abuse was recognized only if an animal died or was injured, even when, for example, a leash shorter than 2 meters was used or the animal was not provided with a place to rest away from extreme heat or cold.

◆Clarifying what constitutes animal abandonment and expanding the scope of animals eligible for rescue and protection= The amendments clarify that failing to retrieve an animal left at a pet boarding facility or animal hospital also constitutes animal abandonment. They also expand the scope of animals eligible for rescue and protection, allowing local governments to protect not only abandoned, lost and abused animals, but also animals left unattended because of a disaster or their owner's death or disappearance.

◆Introducing permit renewals for companion animal breeding businesses and measures to regulate new types of pet shops= The amendments introduce a renewal system under which permits for animal breeders will be reviewed every five years. The aim is to improve the existing system, which allowed businesses to continue operating indefinitely once they had obtained a permit, by periodically checking facility and staffing standards before deciding whether to renew permits. They also restrict companion animal businesses from using or advertising names similar to those of animal protection centers, and prohibit people who are not in the business from giving away or taking in companion animals for profit. These measures reflect proposals from the field to address so-called "new types of pet shops," which pose as shelters while selling animals or take in animals surrendered by their owners and resell them.

◆Rationalizing permits to keep dangerous dogs and strengthening the management of dog-bite incidents= The amendments establish a basis for waiving spaying or neutering and temperament assessments when issuing permits to keep dangerous dogs if the dogs are elderly or ill. In such cases, however, owners will be required to prevent breeding and keep the animals from leaving their designated place of residence, among other obligations. Violations will be punishable by a fine of up to 5 million won. The amendments also allow the head of a local government to record and manage dog-bite incidents in the animal registration records.

The amendments also allow the national and local governments to provide necessary support to the owners of service animals, including military dogs, search-and-rescue dogs and detection dogs, and establish a basis for setting up and operating support centers for retired service animals. They also include a special provision allowing temporary use of farmland for other purposes when private animal protection facilities that were established and operating before April 27, 2026, register with the authorities.

Lee Yong-jik, Director General of Animal Welfare Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "These amendments, including the introduction of a ban on keeping animals, address requests that animal protection groups and people in the field have made consistently." He added, "We will do our utmost to prepare subordinate regulations and make implementation preparations so that the system works effectively in practice."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.