Tight vote on dog-walking ban divides apartment residents in South Korea

A narrow vote on whether to ban dog walking in a residential complex has sparked heated debate among residents in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, highlighting growing tensions over pet etiquette in shared living spaces.

According to KBS, Wednesday, a sign recently appeared in an elevator at an apartment complex in Yesan, notifying residents of a vote on a proposed ban on walking dogs in the complex’s ground-level park. The notice, issued by the residents’ representative council, invited all residents to participate in an electronic vote held over two days, June 10 and 11.

The proposal emerged amid complaints from some residents about dog owners failing to clean up after their pets. Supporters of the ban argued that repeated issues with dog waste and leash violations left no choice but to impose restrictions. “If owners had simply leashed their pets properly and cleaned up after them, we wouldn’t be discussing a ban,” one resident in favor said.

Opponents, however, criticized the proposal as excessive, saying the problem could be resolved through better enforcement and community guidelines. “There are less drastic ways to handle this than banning walks altogether,” said one resident. “This only stirs up conflict among neighbors.”

The vote, which included all 460 households in the complex, ended with a razor-thin margin: 203 in favor and 201 opposed.

The close result has triggered a wave of reactions online. “Too many people just play with their phones and don’t pick up after their dogs — no wonder it came to a vote,” one commenter wrote. Others added, “As the number of pet owners increases, we need smarter rules,” while another said, “Pets are family — this is too much,” and, “Next, they’ll be calling for ‘no pet’ apartments.”

Lee Woong-jong, a professor specializing in companion animals at Seoul Digital University, told the broadcaster that the debate reflects growing anxiety over pet-related incidents such as dog bites and poor waste management. “Pet owners should follow basic etiquette like using leashes and cleaning up immediately,” he said. “Participating in pet-manners education would help ease these kinds of disputes.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.