Starting this month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is enforcing a local government ordinance that could impose fines of up to 1 million won on citizens caught feeding pigeons. Seoul is the only local government in the country to introduce such an ordinance. It is said to be a measure to prevent situations where the excessive number of pigeons causes various damages with their droppings.
However, citizens feeding pigeons in parks are unaware of the fines being imposed. There are also opinions that the fine level is excessively high compared to other legal violations. Additionally, some point out that the prohibition on feeding is not an effective means of preventing pigeon damage.
◇When asked about throwing bread crumbs to pigeons, he said, "Fines?"
On the 5th, at a park in front of Jongmyo Shrine in Jongno District, Seoul, at around 11:45 a.m., Mr. Bae, 70, entered between the trees with a bag. He took out two black plastic bags from inside the bag and scattered them among the bushes. They contained cut-up pieces of pizza bread and rice. Then, dozens of pigeons flew in unison to peck at the food. The sound of "cooing" filled the park.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 15th, a local government ordinance is in effect that can impose fines of up to 1 million won for feeding pigeons, like Mr. Bae. However, when informed of this, Mr. Bae said, "This is the first time I've heard of it," and asked, "Am I not allowed to feed the pigeons freely?"
The Seoul Metropolitan Government's 'Prohibition on Feeding Harmful Wild Animals' ordinance, which prohibits feeding pigeons, took effect on Jan. 24, and fines became enforceable starting from the 1st of this month. Harmful wild animals include sparrows, magpies, crows, wild boars, moles, and pigeons, but pigeons, which have an excessively high population, are the primary target. Pigeon droppings have strong acidity that can corrode cultural assets, buildings, and vehicles, and humans exposed to it can suffer from food poisoning, diarrhea, or pneumonia.
The background of the ordinance is related to the reproductive capacity of pigeons, which varies according to food availability. In the wild, pigeons lay two eggs 1-2 times a year, but in urban areas with abundant food, they can lay eggs 4-6 times a year. This means that the number of offspring a female pigeon can increase in a year can decrease from a maximum of 12 to 2-4 if food is restricted.
◇Seoul uniquely experiences a steady increase in pigeon population... "Due to feeding" is suspected
Seoul is the first city in the nation to actually enforce an ordinance that imposes fines for feeding pigeons. This appears to be because Seoul is the only metropolitan area where the pigeon population has steadily increased.
The Ministry of Environment designates areas with many complaints about pigeon damage as management areas and conducts annual population surveys. The number of pigeons in management areas of Seoul increased by 30.4% from 7,233 in 2019 to 9,429 in 2023. In contrast, the national population decreased by 33.7% from 45,383 to 30,089 during the same period. A Seoul official estimated, "It is likely that excessive food supply has increased the pigeon population."
However, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has yet to enforce regulations against people feeding pigeons. First, they need to designate areas where feeding is prohibited, but only administrative announcements have been made so far. The city is reviewing 38 locations for prohibiting pigeon feeding, including 22 urban parks such as Seongdong-gu's Seoul Forest and Namsan Park in Jung-gu, four infrastructure sites such as Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu and Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, and 11 Han River parks including Yeouido and Banpo. The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated, "These are areas where the high number of pigeons has caused harm to people."
However, subway and train stations like Seoul Station, where pigeons frequently roam and cause inconvenience to citizens, are excluded. The park in front of Jongmyo Shrine, where Mr. Bae fed a large amount of food to the pigeons, is also not included.
Mr. Na, 29, who runs a dumpling house inside the Seoul Station, said, "Pigeons often fly into the store. I am startled every time," adding, "There are passengers who give leftover food, so there are many pigeons inside the station." Mr. Song, 86, who operates a stall outside the station, complained, "Pigeons peck at the peanuts on display, and I wish there would be some regulation. Why isn’t Seoul Station included among the fine targets?"
◇Even if cigarette butts are thrown away several times, the fine is 50,000 won... Feeding pigeons incurs a fine of 200,000 won on the first offense
According to the amended 'Wildlife Protection and Management Act' and the Seoul Metropolitan Government ordinance, if caught feeding pigeons in prohibited areas for the first time, a fine of 200,000 won will be imposed, 500,000 won for the second time, and 1 million won from the third time onwards.
However, a fine of 50,000 won is imposed for littering cigarette butts, no matter how many times one is caught. A fine of 130,000 won is imposed for driving over the speed limit of 60 km/h. A fine of 1 million won is imposed for illegally incinerating waste generated during business operations. Mr. Kim, 30, who was watching someone feeding pigeons at Jongmyo Park, said, "I wish people wouldn’t feed them, but that fine seems excessive at 1 million won."
◇Rather than prohibiting feeding, it is suggested to use "contraceptive feed"... Concerns about side effects from the Seoul Metropolitan Government
Animal protection groups expressed doubts about the policy's effectiveness. Lee Won-bok, representative of the Korea Animal Protection Alliance, noted, "There are too many pigeons in the country," but added, "In Japan, Italy, and the UK, feeding pigeons at designated places is prohibited, but the effect on reducing their population has not been significant."
Representative Lee proposed as an alternative to "provide contraceptive feed." It is reported that the city of Brussels in Belgium, between 2019 and 2023, fed pigeons corn kernels containing contraceptive ingredients at 12 locations, resulting in a 66% reduction in their population. However, a Seoul official stated, "According to the Ministry of Environment's 'Domestic Pigeon Management Guidelines', there are concerns that using contraceptive feed might cause side effects in the food chain."