Celebrating the Passage of the Amendment Bills on Wildlife Welfare in Korea > 야생동물

Celebrating the Passage of the Amendment Bills on Wildlife Welfare in Korea 

Today, the National Assembly of South Korea passed the amendment bills on the Act On The Management Of Zoos And Aquariums(Zoos and Aquariums Act) and the Wildlife Protection And Management Act(Wildlife Act).  

The passage of these bills is a significant win for animal welfare and the protection of wildlife in Korea, the enforcement of laws that have been called for repetitively by the Animal Welfare Awareness Research and Education(AWARE) and our supporters since 2017. The amendments aim to enhance captive animal welfare, to strengthen the management system of zoos and aquariums, and to protect and manage wildlife. 

The assembly’s plenary session has approved the whole amendment to the Zoos and Aquariums Act and the partial amendment to the Wildlife Act that include the following:

1) Converting existing license system to permit system for zoos and aquariums

2) Appointing zoos and aquariums inspectors to examine whether a facility is in compliance with requirements

3) Prohibition against acquiring species unsuitable for exhibition prescribed by joint ordinance of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

4) Prohibiting an act of inflicting pain, fear, or stress on animals without justifiable grounds

7) Prohibiting an act of exhibiting any wildlife species in facilities other than zoos or aquariums that obtained permission for business

5) Prescribing a ‘white list’ of species that can be imported 

6) Operating a permission system for selling, importing, and breeding business of wildlife species

The current law allows any person to operate a zoo or aquarium if the person registers a facility after meeting the basic requirements prescribed in Presidential Decree. The amendment will strengthen the requirements by requiring any person to obtain permit in order to operate a zoo or aquarium. Zoos and aquariums Inspectors will be designated to evaluate facility requirements for authorization and operation. Any facility without permission shall not exhibit wildlife species. It shall be unlawful for any unqualified business such as ‘wild animal café’ or ‘traveling animal exhibit’ to operate. A joint ordinance of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will prescribe species unsuitable for exhibition due to high risk of death or disease caused by stress from the public display. The Ministry of Environment will also prescribe a list of wildlife species in order to manage and monitor the selling, importing, breeding, and keeping of mammals, avians, reptiles and amphibians. 

Hyung Ju Lee, AWARE Chief Executive, said; “We welcome the first passage of these bills and look forward to see them becoming laws which will be a milestone for reducing the pain and suffering of wild animals in captivity and improving the animal welfare standards in Korea. We will continue to advocate for further improvement of animal welfare and monitor the effective implementation of law. 

Welcoming comprehensive changes to wildlife law, AWARE believes that the amendments will further improve the welfare of animals and change people’s attitudes towards wildlife.