More than 600 people have been injured in pet safety incidents over the past three years, yet the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has allocated no budget for response measures.
According to data received by Yoon Jun-byeong, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party, there were a total of 601 reported pet safety incidents from 2023 to August 2026.
These incidents resulted in 603 victims, including three fatalities and 14 serious injuries.
Breaking down the annual figures, there were 154 incidents in 2023, 198 in 2024, 172 in 2025, and already 77 incidents reported this year by August.
Of the 601 incidents, 599 were dog bite cases, with one incident involving a dog without a leash colliding with a bicycle.
Current animal protection laws require pet owners to use leashes and muzzles for dangerous dogs when outside, but some owners fail to comply, putting public safety at risk.
Despite an average of nearly 200 incidents causing injuries each year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has not set aside any budget for accident prevention or direct response.
Yoon stated, "It is a serious dereliction of duty for the responsible ministry not to have a budget for direct response to safety incidents. The government must establish a dedicated budget and implement effective safety standards."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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