Korea to ban animal abusers from keeping animals under revised law

South Korea's agriculture ministry said Tuesday that courts will be able to bar people convicted of animal cruelty from owning or caring for animals for between one and five years, under a revision to the Animal Protection Act. The law, which takes effect one year after its promulgation on Tuesday, is intended to prevent repeat offences and improve animal welfare.

The new animal-keeping ban applies to people charged with animal abuse offences whom prosecutors deem at risk of offending again. Prosecutors may request the order until the closing of arguments in the appeal of the cruelty case, and courts may also ask for a request to be filed. A person subject to the order is barred from keeping, managing or protecting animals for the stated period and is placed under probation supervision during that time, and the court may order that animals already in their possession be handed to an animal protection centre or sold.

The revision also widens what counts as abandonment. Animals found wandering without an owner at veterinary clinics or at businesses running animal boarding services are now classified as lost or abandoned animals, alongside those left in public places. Owners are also required, rather than merely urged, to provide proper care and to refrain from abuse.

Rules on dangerous dogs have been tightened. Authority to license the keeping of dangerous breeds passes from provincial governors to city, county and district chiefs, and licences must be renewed every three years, with owners required to complete safety training to renew. Neutering exceptions are now allowed on grounds of age or health rather than only for puppies under eight months. Owners must report a dangerous dog that escapes from its enclosure, and such dogs are barred from schools, social welfare facilities, medical institutions and pharmacies. The law also creates a basis for authorities to survey and publish data on dangerous-dog management and bite incidents.

Commercial animal breeders will need to renew their licences every five years, with renewal subject to an evaluation of whether they meet facility and staffing standards, comply with operating rules and have remedied past violations. Businesses licensed before the law takes effect have two years to obtain a renewal.

It creates a retirement centre for service animals to support their care and adoption, and it requires local governments to accept reports from private animal shelters set up on farmland before April 27 this year if the shelters meet conditions including a valid restoration plan and a deposit covering restoration costs.

In a separate provision, local governments must check the criminal records of anyone seeking to adopt an animal from a shelter and must refuse those convicted of abuse offences within the previous five years or currently serving a suspended sentence. The law sets a fine of up to 10 million won ($7,561) for a range of violations, including using a name or advertising that could lead the public to mistake a business for an animal protection centre.