Seoul said it will strengthen enforcement of no-feeding zones for rock pigeons starting next month and impose fines on violators.
Seoul said on the 29th it will step up enforcement at 38 no-feeding zones for rock pigeons, including Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Plaza, Seoul Forest, and Hangang Park.
Rock pigeons originally lived in mountainous areas and in the wild, but continual feeding by people has spread their habitat throughout the city. In the process, hygiene and landscape problems such as droppings and foul odors have been repeatedly raised.
In April last year, Seoul designated a total of 38 places, including major parks and plazas and 11 districts of Hangang Park, as no-feeding zones for rock pigeons. After about three months of on-site guidance and publicity, the city has been implementing a system of imposing fines since July last year.
Fines are 200,000 won for a first offense, 500,000 won for a second, and up to 1 million won for a third or more.
Until now, Seoul has operated the system with a focus on on-site guidance and publicity rather than immediately imposing fines. To date, a total of 940 on-site guidance actions have been carried out.
According to Seoul, civil complaints related to rock pigeons increased from 1,481 in 2023, before the system was implemented, to 1,658 last year. However, while complaints related to hygiene and the living environment decreased, requests for enforcement of feeding bans and demands to expand no-feeding zones rose sharply.
Some district offices, including Geumcheon District, Gwanak District, and Seongdong District, are also operating their own no-feeding zones for rock pigeons.
Seoul also said the appearance of large-billed crows in the city center has been increasing recently, and asked residents to refrain from providing food. It noted that from May to July, fledgling crows leave their nests, and mother crows can become more aggressive, requiring caution.
Lee Chang-hun, head of Seoul's Natural Ecology Division, said, "The rock pigeon feeding ban is not about excluding a particular animal, but about providing a pleasant environment for residents and reducing wild animals' dependence on people."