The seller, believed to be based in China, detailed plans to ship the puppies in boxes equipped with water and food. (Image provided by animal rights group CARE)
SEOUL, Sept.11 (Korea Bizwire) – Coupang, South Korea’s leading e-commerce platform, found itself embroiled in controversy after listings offering to ship live puppies via courier service appeared on its site, sparking outrage among animal rights advocates and raising questions about the company’s content monitoring practices.
According to industry sources, two listings appeared on Coupang’s platform on September 8 and 9, offering “purebred Shiba Inu puppies” and “authentic Chinese rural dogs” for sale.
The listings, which included photos of what appeared to be Shiba Inu and white Jindo puppies, allowed customers to select dogs ranging from 45 days to 12 months old, with prices varying from 139,200 to 480,000 won.
The seller, believed to be based in China, detailed plans to ship the puppies in boxes equipped with water and food. The listings even included assurances that the seller would take responsibility for any issues arising during transit.
However, current South Korean animal protection laws strictly prohibit the courier delivery of six designated companion animal species, including dogs and cats. Legal transactions of these animals must occur either through direct, in-person exchanges or via authorized animal transporters.
Several clues pointed to the listings’ Chinese origin. The use of “jin” (斤), a Chinese unit of weight, instead of kilograms, and the awkward phrasing of the titles in Korean raised suspicions.
Some online users speculated that the listings might have been auto-translated from Chinese e-commerce sites, a theory supported by the discovery of identical images on platforms like Taobao when searching with Chinese translations of the product names.
As the controversy gained traction on online communities, Coupang swiftly removed the offending listings. A company spokesperson stated, “We’ve confirmed that no actual transactions took place. The sale of companion animals is not permitted on Coupang, and we remove such listings immediately upon discovery.”
South Korean activists have been quick to respond. The animal rights group CARE has filed a formal complaint with the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul, accusing both the e-commerce platforms and affiliated sellers of violating the Animal Protection Act.
A spokesperson for CARE expressed concern over the broader implications of these listings. “With puppy mills proliferating and creating surplus animal problems, now we see Chinese sellers using Korean online platforms to sell dogs,” the organization stated.
“Illegal vendors treating animals like package deliveries, and platforms like Coupang enabling such services, are causing unnecessary suffering to innocent animals.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
