Citizens take dogs for a walk in central Seoul, in this file photo taken Jan. 31, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The government is strengthening its pet ownership policy to prevent dog bite accidents.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced Thursday that it will make an advance notice of legislation for the new enforcement decree for the Animal Protection Act.
Currently, owners of pets that are subject to mandatory registration are required to put a leash on their pets or keep them inside a portable container when going outdoors.
The new enforcement measures will require portable containers to be equipped with safety locks in order to prevent pets from escaping.
The new measures will also require animals to be held or leashed in certain indoor spaces including school dormitories, study rooms, officetels and other quasi-residential facilities.
When keeping pets on a leash, the leash should be longer than 2 meters. Unless strictly necessary, the pets should not be kept in the dark for an extensive amount of time.
Facilities that keep more than 20 dogs and cats for protection will be required to provide the name of the institution, address, name of the supervisor, the surface area of the facility and the facility’s animal protection capacity to local authorities.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
