Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Staff Raising Pigeons for a Month While Catching Fine Defaulters [Seocho-dong Legal Story]

Elderly Man Arrested for Unpaid Fine of 2.9 Million Won Keeps Pet Pigeon
Investigator Yuje Seung, Youngest of Enforcement Division 2, Takes Charge of Care
"I'll Come to Pick It Up on Foot When Released from Detention"... Agreed to Care for 5 More Days

A pigeon raised and cared for by the Enforcement Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. [Photo by Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office]

Investigator Yoo Jae-seung of the Enforcement Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has a routine he follows every morning when he arrives at work. Normally, he would sit at his desk, turn on his computer, and start by checking his schedule, but not anymore.

The first thing he does upon arriving at the office is to check on the well-being of the pigeon they keep there. He carefully examines whether the bird survived the night and if it shows any signs of distress. Then, he feeds the pigeon and refills its water. Being the youngest among the detention staff, he has been in charge of caring for the pigeon for almost a month now.

On the 27th of last month, a man in his late 70s was brought to the prosecution office under arrest. The elderly man was detained for failing to pay a fine of 2.9 million won imposed for obstructing official duties. Without the money to pay the fine, he had no choice but to serve time in a labor detention center as an alternative punishment.

However, a problem arose. The arrested man was carrying a transparent box of Oxford blocks, a children's toy, in one hand, and inside it was a white pigeon. This pigeon was a pet that the elderly man, who had been living a homeless life, cherished like family.

According to current laws, live animals are prohibited from being brought into detention facilities such as jails or prisons. If the detainee had been a mother with an infant who needed care during detention, the child might have been allowed to stay with her, but this was impossible for the elderly man and his pigeon. The pigeon needed to be entrusted to the man's family, friends, or acquaintances, but he had no one to contact.

The elderly man's pigeon was not an ordinary pigeon commonly seen in parks but a pet parrot pigeon kept in a cage. Even if the box cover was opened, the pigeon would not fly away, making it awkward to release it forcibly.

After much deliberation, the staff of Enforcement Division 2 decided to take care of the pigeon until the man returned from the labor center.

Investigator Yoo said, "We tried our best to find any acquaintances or contacts, but there was no one, so we decided to take care of it ourselves. When we first saw the pigeon, we felt a bit overwhelmed, but after reporting to the chief and getting approval from all the staff in our division, we proceeded..." he recounted the situation.

Since there was a possibility that the pigeon might suddenly fall ill or die in the unfamiliar environment, they also obtained a pledge from the elderly man stating that he would not hold them responsible if the pigeon died while in their care.

They placed the box containing the pigeon on a table in the office, lined the bottom with clean newspaper, provided bottled water in a container, and kept hand sanitizer on top of the box to use whenever feeding the bird. Kim Sang-woo, head of Enforcement Division 2, said, "We buy feed with the division's budget and feed the pigeon."

Investigator Yoo, who had never cared for a bird before, said, "At first, I didn’t know how often or how much to feed it, so I just gave it a lot, but it ate everything, so now I divide the feed. We take care of it in the morning and at lunch, but since we can’t feed it in the evening, we give it a bit more in advance."

Fortunately, the pigeon did not flap its wings or make noise, so it did not interfere with their work. On the contrary, employees from other departments came to see the pigeon, making the office livelier.

Investigator Yoo said, "Our division usually doesn’t have much conversation, but since the pigeon arrived, the staff have been talking more, which is nice."

The elderly man, detained in the labor center for failing to pay the 2.9 million won fine, was held for 29 days, calculated at a daily rate of 100,000 won, and was released at midnight on the 24th. However, it seems unlikely he will be able to retrieve the pigeon immediately on the 25th.

Investigator Yoo said, "The man said he would come to pick it up after his detention ends on the 24th, but it seems he plans to walk here. He said he would walk from the detention center to the prosecution office, so we told him we would take care of the pigeon for about five more days and asked him to come within that time."

He expressed a bittersweet feeling about parting with the pigeon he had grown fond of, saying, "When it actually comes time to send it off, I feel a bit sad," revealing his emotional attachment to the pigeon.