Stricter law needed to prevent dog attacks on people

Calls are mounting for stronger measures to prevent animal attacks on people. / Gettyimagesbank

By Lee Hyo-jin

Calls are mounting for the government to implement measures that will prevent dog attacks on people, such as introducing stronger punishments for dog owners in the event their pet attacks someone.

Under the current law, when a dog attack results in a person's death, the dog owner can be sentenced to up to three years in prison and fined up to 30 million won ($25,271). If a dog attack causes injury its can lead to the owner facing up to two years in jail and 20 million won in fines.

Cho Seong-ja, a professor at Kangwon National University of Law, states that stricter laws are needed to prevent animal attacks.

“In Korea, criminal punishment for a dog bite accident is impossible if the victim declines to press charges. Dog owners must be punished regardless of the victim's consent like in other countries such as the United States,” she stated in her 2019 thesis “A Study on Current Developments and Suggestions of Animal Law in the US.”

According to Yangju Police, Wednesday, a golden retriever and a Jindo attacked two people, a man in his 40s and a six-year-old girl, in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, on July 25. Both suffered injuries to their legs, and the girl is reportedly receiving counseling due to trauma from the attack.

Last month, a Rottweiler attacked and killed a spitz, injuring its owner in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. The same month, a woman in her 80s who had been severely injured in May by two Belgian Shepherds in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, died during medical treatment.

According to the National Fire Agency (NFA), from 2016 to 2019, a total of 6,883 people have been transferred to the hospital due to dog-related accidents. More than 2,000 people are attacked by dogs per year, which means that approximately six people are attacked every day.

As the numbers are increasing year by year, public voices are rising for stronger punishments of the dog owners in order to raise awareness.

However, some say tougher regulations may not be the fundamental solution in the long term.

“Strengthening laws is a temporary solution. What we need more is education programs for dog owners. Dog-related accidents occur mainly because the owner did not train the dog properly,” said Jeon Jin-kyung, executive director of Korea Animal Rights Advocates.

“All dogs, regardless of their breed, are born with two characters ― aggression and obedience. It is the owner's responsibility to control the dogs to ensure they behave themselves in public areas.”