Assemblyman Yoon Jae-gap Reports 10,292 Dog Bite Incidents Over the Past 5 Years

2665 Cases in Gyeonggi, 913 in Seoul, 838 in Gyeongbuk in Order of Occurrence

Liability for Personal and Large Animal Damage Compensation, Pet Insurance Enrollment Only 0.25%

Democratic Party of Korea Representative Yoon Jae-gap (Haenam·Wando·Jindo) / ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] With the spread of pet culture, as of last year, the number of companion dogs in South Korea was counted at 5,984,903, comparable to the population of three metropolitan cities including Gyeongbuk, Chungbuk, and Jeonbuk.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to National Assembly member Yoon Jae-gap (Democratic Party, Haenam-Wando-Jindo) of the Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee, 10,292 dog bite incidents occurred over the past five years.

The regional distribution of dog bite incidents over the past five years is as follows: Gyeonggi (2,665 cases), Seoul (913 cases), Gyeongbuk (838 cases), Chungnam (741 cases), and Gyeongnam (735 cases). The region with the fewest dog bite incidents during this period was Sejong, with 52 cases.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 5th, only 62.9% of dog owners comply with required measures such as wearing leashes and identification tags when going out, and the enrollment rate for pet insurance, which covers liability for damages to people and other animals as well as medical expenses, is only 0.25%.

Assemblyman Yoon Jae-gap urged, “As the number of households raising companion dogs and other pets increases, I ask that safety management obligations and pet etiquette be well observed to foster a culture where humans and animals live together.”

He added, “In particular, I will strive to amend the current ‘Animal Protection Act’ to strengthen management obligations for dangerous dogs that can cause human injury and to improve measures such as restricting access to facilities densely populated by the elderly and vulnerable.”

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