Pet Industry News Briefing — September 16, 2026

Imsil-gun in Jeollabuk-do is accelerating the training of pet funeral directors and other specialists, while the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs continues gathering opinions for the enactment of the Animal Welfare Basic Act. With only 29 prison sentences handed down for animal abuse over the last five years, calls for stronger penalties are rising. Meanwhile, the self-reporting grace period for unregistered dogs has been extended until the end of October, drawing significant attention to related regulations.

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Only 29 prison sentences for animal abuse, discussions on Animal Welfare Basic Act accelerate

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Pet Industry and Business Trends

Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do Expands Professional Pet Talent Training Building on the historical heritage of the Osu dog, Imsil-gun is stepping up efforts to foster professionals in the pet industry. This year, the county is expanding its educational curriculum by introducing a "pet funeral director" course alongside existing programs for pet managers, groomers, and behavioral trainers. This move aims to strengthen the pet business ecosystem as a region-specific industry.

Cat Essential Trends: Emphasis on Smart Care and Safety The 2026 cat-raising trend emphasizes "smart housekeeping" that goes beyond purchasing simple supplies. For prospective and novice cat owners, guidance has been provided to carefully check height adjustment features, safety, cat litter clumping, and hygiene management convenience when choosing automatic feeders and cat towers. This shows that product selection criteria are becoming stricter in line with the pet humanization trend.

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Policy and Legislative Amendments

Expert Discussion Held for Enactment of Animal Welfare Basic Act The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is gathering opinions from experts, animal protection groups, and the industry to enact the "Animal Welfare Basic Act." This bill aims to establish a basic framework for animal welfare policies covering not only companion animals but also farm animals, laboratory animals, and animals in zoos and aquariums. The government plans to use this to reshape animal welfare policy.

Fine for Unregistered Dogs Waived with Self-Reporting by October Fines of up to 1 million KRW are imposed for failing to register dogs aged two months or older kept for companionship, but fines will be waived if voluntarily reported by the end of October. This is an institutional incentive designed for the systematic management of unregistered dogs, and active participation from pet owners is required.

Controversy Over Effectiveness of Animal Abuse Punishments: Only 29 Prison Sentences in 5 Years Over the past five years, only 29 people have been sentenced to prison for animal abuse charges. Fines accounted for 68.8% of all punishments, raising controversy over the lack of actual penalty severity despite strengthened statutory penalties. This suggests that stronger legal reinforcement is needed in conjunction with discussions on the Animal Welfare Basic Act.

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Health Care and Lifestyle Tips

Illegal Breeding of Wild Animals Exposed in Ulsan, Pointing Out Deficiencies in Stray Animal Protection Systems Illegal breeding and sales of wild animals such as meerkats and raccoons were uncovered in Ulju-gun, Ulsan. It was revealed that while meerkats were adopted out to individuals, raccoons were scheduled to enter a shelter, raising concerns about loopholes in the wild animal reporting system and the risk of abandonment. Care must be taken regarding legal regulations and loopholes in protection systems not only for companion animals but also when raising exotic animals.

Blind Spots Found in Animal Protection Center Management 172 dog and cat carcasses were discovered at a direct municipal animal protection center in Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do. Although the center received a "no problems found" rating from a Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs inspection just three months prior, critics point out that local government-run direct centers are more vulnerable to management blind spots than outsourced centers. When adopting pets or using shelter facilities, it is important to directly check the management status of the facility.