New Animal Protection Rules Unveiled

As of next year, owners must fit dogs that go outdoors with identification tags and register them with local county, ward and city authorities.

Pet owners must also immediately clean up the droppings of their animals to avoid paying fines.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Sunday announced that pet owners face fines of under 300,000 won unless they register their dogs with the district office. Failure to comply with regulations will mean fines of 100,000-200,000 won.

Dog owners who do not regularly vaccinate their pets or clean up after them in public places will also be subject to fines up to 300,000 won and 100,000 won each.

Children aged less than 14 years may not hold onto dog collars, and outright abandoning pets will entail fines of under 500,000 won, it said.

Last year, authorities spent 8 billion won to take care of 79,000 lost animals, up from 20,000 lost pets reported in 2005.

People must use all available means to reduce suffering when butchering animals or using them in tests. Unauthorized used of chemicals, electricity, fire or water will be banned, it said.

By 2012, all research institutes using lab animals must have an in-house ethics oversight committee to prevent unnecessary suffering, and make certain that a minimal number of animals are used in live tests.