The plan sets a policy goal to reduce annual abandoned animals from approximately 113,000 in 2023 to 60,000 by 2029, and to halve Animal Protection Act violations and abandoned or lost animals by 2029.

It commits to expanding local government animal protection centers from 76 in 2023 to 130 by 2029.

It specifies an ownership ban for individuals convicted of serious animal abuse, planned to take effect from 2027, with duration to be set following consultation with the Ministry of Justice, courts, and local governments.

It expands the legal definition of animal abandonment to include leaving animals for extended periods at veterinary hospitals or when moving house, alongside an increase in the statutory maximum fine from 3 million KRW to 5 million KRW, both described as amendments to be introduced within 2025.

It extends mandatory dog registration from designated areas to all dogs nationwide, phasing out existing local exemption areas.

It directs development of farm animal facility management guidelines, expanded checks at slaughterhouses and on transport vehicles, and strengthened measures against illegal distribution of certified animal welfare livestock products.

It directs tailored consulting and post-inspection by external experts for animal experimentation institutions.

Animal welfare education, previously covering kindergarten and elementary levels, is scheduled to extend to middle schools from 2025 and high schools from 2026.

Anticipated Effects

If the 2027 ownership ban, expanded abandonment definition, and increased fines are enacted and enforced as described, and if dog registration expansion and protection center growth proceed on the stated timeline, these measures would be expected to increase administrative oversight of companion animal ownership and reduce reported abandonment over the plan period; the stated targets (halving abandonment and violations by 2029) are policy goals and are not yet documented as realized outcomes.

If farm animal facility guidelines and strengthened slaughterhouse and transport checks are implemented as planned, compliance conditions for livestock operations would be expected to become more standardized nationally, though available sources do not document resulting changes in animal numbers or facility operations.

Several components, including the ownership ban, the companion animal industry law, and the legal basis for national service animals, depend on subsequent legislation not yet confirmed as enacted in available sources.

Significance Rationale

Assigned Neutral / Administrative for impact direction because the plan restructures regulatory conditions, enforcement practices, and administrative infrastructure across multiple sectors without documenting a contraction in the scale of animal use in agriculture, research, or companion animal industries; several measures, including support for pet food and pet-technology industries, may sustain or expand existing commercial activity rather than reduce it.

Assigned Modifies Conditions as the primary mechanism because the plan’s core measures (ownership bans for convicted offenders, registration expansion, facility guidelines, sentencing standards, and institutional oversight) adjust the conditions and governance structures within continuing animal use systems rather than eliminating a system or altering its overall scale.

Assigned Moderate significance because the plan operates nationally across multiple sectors with concrete numerical targets and institutional commitments, but available sources document policy adoption and phased legislative intent rather than demonstrated system-level outcomes at this stage.