"If You Voluntarily Report Pet Dog Registration, Fine Will Be Waived... Until September 30"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government announced on the 30th that it will operate a voluntary reporting period from next month 19th to September 30th for those living with companion dogs who have not registered to voluntarily report. If reported during the voluntary reporting period, fines will be waived.

According to the Animal Protection Act, an animal registration application must be submitted to the city, county, or district office within 30 days from the day the animal becomes subject to registration, either the day the animal is acquired or when it reaches 2 months of age. The mayor, county governor, or district head imposes a fine of up to 1 million won on unregistered owners, and up to 500,000 won on those who fail to report changes such as ownership or death of the animal.

Registration applications can be submitted by visiting the city, county, or district office, or one of the 3,420 animal hospitals designated as animal registration agents by the city, county, or district, 169 animal protection centers, 11 animal protection organizations, or animal sales businesses. Change of registration information can be reported on the Animal Protection Management System website. However, ownership changes cannot be processed online and must be reported in person at the city, county, or district office with the animal registration certificate.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the competent authority, will intensively crack down on unregistered companion dogs and those who fail to report changes nationwide from October after the voluntary reporting period ends. This includes companion dogs using public places such as roads and parks, main walking trails, as well as outdoor yard dogs. A fine of 200,000 won will be imposed for the first violation, and use of public facilities such as pet playgrounds or parks operated by local governments will be restricted.

Kim Ji-hyun, Director of Animal Welfare Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Animal registration is like a promise that the owner recognizes the companion animal as family, protects it responsibly, and will be together for life." She emphasized, "According to the public awareness survey announced by the Ministry in April, there are 6.38 million households raising companion animals, so owners themselves must abide by laws and etiquette to help reduce social problems such as animal abuse, abandonment, and dog bite accidents, and animal registration is the first step."

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