Delivery Procedure Guide
Options Provided by Weight
Immediate Deletion Action by Coupang
It has been confirmed that multiple posts listing pet dogs as products have been uploaded on the e-commerce platform Coupang. Under current law, selling live pets online is illegal, and Coupang has taken steps to delete these posts.
On the 8th, a post appeared on Coupang offering native breed pet dogs for sale at 139,000 KRW. When selecting purchase options, choices appeared on the screen categorizing the 45-day-old puppies by size, ranging from medium to extra-large.
A listing for purebred Shiba Inu and large native Korean dogs was posted on Coupang. The listing has since been removed. [Photo by Coupang screen capture]
The seller also provided delivery instructions on the detailed page. They stated that the chosen puppy would be placed in a box containing water and food and delivered by courier. It was also specified that the seller would take responsibility for any issues arising during the delivery process.
However, under the Animal Protection Act, it is illegal to trade six designated pet species, including dogs, cats, and hamsters, via courier. When trading pets, transactions must be conducted directly between individuals or through animal transporters authorized by law.
Following the appearance of such sales posts, the product inquiry section was flooded with consumer complaints. One consumer questioned, "Is this product really being sold?" and criticized the seller, asking, "How can a living creature be placed in a courier box and shipped?"
Courier delivery information posted by a pet seller on the product detail page. [Photo by Coupang screen capture]
Recognizing the situation, Coupang immediately took deletion measures. However, on the following day, the 9th, another post appeared selling Shiba Inu, one of the dog breeds. The product detail page featured photos of four Shiba Inu puppies labeled from number 1 to 4. Additionally, the seller introduced images of 18 dog breeds as items handled by the company and advised, "If you want more items, please contact customer service."
The posts selling pet dogs on Coupang are suspected to be the work of Chinese overseas sellers. In fact, the product detail pages used unfamiliar terms domestically, such as indicating the pet dogs' weight not in kilograms (㎏) but in jin (斤), a unit widely used in China. Currently, all sales posts have been deleted.
Coupang stated that they promptly delete illegal posts through monitoring. A Coupang representative explained, "It has been confirmed that no actual transactions occurred related to these sales posts," and added, "Pets are not allowed to be sold on Coupang, and any posts selling pet dogs are immediately dealt with upon discovery."
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