An opinion poll found that 87.8% of the public thinks "animals are not objects." The government will begin discussions to amend the Civil Act to reflect this view.
The Ministry of Justice on the 7th released the results of a public opinion survey commissioned to Gallup Korea in connection with the Civil Act amendment. The survey was conducted by telephone interview on May 22–25, and those surveyed were 1,000 men and women aged 18 or older nationwide.
According to the poll, 48.8% said they "know" that animals are treated as objects, while 51.2% said they "do not know." "Animals should be defined separately from objects under the Civil Act" was 87.8%, and "there is no need to distinguish them" was 12.2%.
Opinions were divided on the scope of animals that need to be distinguished from objects, including ▲ companion animals ▲ companion animals and livestock ▲ all animals including wildlife. There was little difference depending on whether respondents currently keep animals.
To the question "An owner can freely use or buy and sell an animal," 55.7% answered "yes," and 44.3% answered "no." Even among respondents who said an owner can freely use or dispose of an animal, 83.8% said a rule distinguishing animals from objects is necessary.
Taking this public opinion into account, the Ministry of Justice will hold a "forum on legislative issues for the de-objectification of animals" on the 16th at Veritas Hall in the annex of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
At this forum, there will be presentations and discussions on three topics: ▲ the current state of and improvements to animal-related legislation ▲ the necessity and significance of amending the Civil Act for the de-objectification of animals ▲ the handling of companion animals in the seizure process.
In 2021, the Ministry of Justice prepared a bill to amend the Civil Act to add a clause stating "animals are not objects" and submitted it to the National Assembly. However, it was automatically discarded when the term of the 21st National Assembly expired at the time.
Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice said, "We hope this forum will lay the groundwork for improving the legal status of animals," adding, "We will do our best to ensure it leads to legislation for the 'de-objectification of animals' through a national consensus."