South Korea may soon grant legal status to animals to tackle rising abuse

South Korea plans to amend its civil code to grant animals legal status, according to the justice ministry's director-general of legal counsel. The proposal comes at a time when the country is seeing a rise in pet abuse and abandonment.

Jin-hui, a cream-coloured Pomeranian, was buried alive and left for dead in 2018 in the South Korean port city of Busan. No charges were filed against its owner at the time, but animal abusers and those who abandon pets will soon face harsher punishment as South Korea plans to amend its civil code to grant animals legal status, Choung Jae-min, the justice ministry's director-general of legal counsel, told Reuters in an interview.