Falling After Being Startled by a Tied Dog, 4 Weeks of Medical Leave... Court Rules "Dog Owner Must Compensate"

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Ju Cheol-in] On the 6th, Judge Kim Cho-ha of the Changwon District Court Civil Division 5 ruled that the owner of a large dog that threatened a child must pay 5,661,700 KRW in compensation.

On June 21, 2019, in an apartment complex in Seongsan-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, a medium-sized dog ran at an 8-year-old child.

At the time, the dog was tied to a flowerbed tree post and could not directly harm the child, but the startled child fell and suffered injuries including an elbow fracture requiring four weeks of treatment.

The dog was a medium-sized breed reaching adult knee height, and it is known that the dog ran at the child even though the child did not provoke it in any way. The dog owner was not present at the scene as they had tied the dog and left to take care of personal business.

Judge Kim stated, "The dog owner has an obligation to prevent the dog from threatening others or causing physical harm, but neglected this duty," and ruled, "The dog and its owner bear full responsibility for unilaterally attacking the child without any reason."

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