Wild boar sightings in Seoul surge 137%

A video of firefighters struggling to subdue a wild boar in an apartment building in Seoul’s Mapo District went viral, April 27. The footage shows four firefighters wrestling with the animal before it was eventually killed.

Six days earlier, Ewha Womans University put up an unusual notice for dormitory residents, warning them about wild boars on campus and advising them not to walk alone at night, or make any sudden or provocative movements if they encounter one. The university said it had increased patrols while spraying repellent, but failed to spot or capture any animal.

The number of wild boar sightings has been on the rise over the past few years.

A poster from Ewha Womans University warning people to move away id they encounter wild boars / Courtesy of Ewha Womans University

The incidents reflect a broader trend. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of wild boars reported in the city rose137 percent, from 205 in 2022 to 486 in 2024. Eunpyeong District recorded the most cases at 158, followed by Dobong District with 126 and Seongbuk District with 79.

Fire department callouts related to wild boars in Seoul reached 589 in 2024, up 55.4 percent from 2022, with 290 cases already logged in the first half of this year alone.

The surge in urban sightings comes even as the overall wild boar population has declined. Government control measures aimed at curbing the spread of African swine fever have reduced population density from 2.3 animals per square kilometer in 2019 to 1.1 in 2022.

A wild boar is seen on Mount Bukhan, Seoul, Feb. 23. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-won

Experts say shrinking natural habitats are pushing the animals into urban areas in search of food.

“Wild boars set out in search of new areas where food sources are abundant, and it appears that this is how they have ended up in places like Ewha Womans University,” Jeong Seung-gyu, a researcher at the National Institute of Biological Resources, was quoted as saying.

“In rural areas it is relatively easy to control animals using firearms and other means, but in urban areas there are limits to population control efforts because of the risk of harm to people.”

Under the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, wild boars are categorized as harmful animals, which include doves, crows and water deer and can be "controlled" under the law.