"3.7 Billion Won Estate Left to Pet Dog... Elderly Man Revises Will to Give Nothing to Three Children"

Inheritance of 3.7 Billion Won to Pet Dogs and Cats
Designating an Animal Hospital as the Estate Administrator

An elderly man in China has attracted attention for deciding to leave an inheritance worth 20 million yuan (approximately 3.7 billion KRW) to his pet dog and cat instead of his children.

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On the 25th, local media reported that Mr. Liu from Shanghai revised his will to leave about 3.7 billion KRW worth of assets to his pets, stating that only his dog and cat stayed by his side, and that he would not leave a single penny to his adult children.

The original will stated that the inheritance would be equally divided among his three children, but since none of them kept in touch or even visited or cared for Mr. Liu when he was ill, it appears he changed his will.

Furthermore, Mr. Liu specified in his will that all the assets he left behind should be used to care for his pets and their offspring after his death. He also appointed an animal hospital as the trustee of the inheritance to take care of his pets. This seems to be because leaving assets directly to pets is not legally permitted in China, so he entrusted the animal hospital with managing the inheritance.

Netizens who came across this story responded with comments such as, "It must have been so hard to decide to leave nothing to his children," "Sometimes I also want to leave my inheritance to the pets who stay by my side rather than family members who don't visit me," and "This writing feels like it reflects the pain caused by his children."

Meanwhile, according to data from the American Bar Association, about one-quarter of pet owners in the United States leave inheritances to their pets. Additionally, the world-renowned designer Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel made headlines for leaving his entire fortune (200 million USD, approximately 224.7 billion KRW) to his pets after his death. In Korea, under Article 98 of the Civil Act, animals are considered property and do not have legal capacity, so pets cannot inherit. However, it is possible to leave an inheritance to family members or third parties on the condition that they take care of the pets.