Animal Rights Coalition Calls for 'Korean Lucy Law' to Ban Pet Auction Houses

An animal rights coalition has criticized the current pet production and sales structure and called for institutional measures to shut down animal auction houses.

At Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the animal rights organization "Lucy's Friends" held a press conference urging the re-legislation of the Animal Protection Act. Photo by Lee Eunseo.

The animal rights coalition "Lucy's Friends" held a press conference at around 10:00 a.m. on July 31 at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, urging the re-legislation of the so-called "Korean Lucy Law," an amendment to the Animal Protection Act that would ban pet auction houses.

The Lucy Law, enacted in the United Kingdom in 2020, prohibits the sale of animals under six months old. The "Korean Lucy Law" centers on abolishing pet auction houses and raising the minimum age for pet sales to six months. The bill was previously introduced in the National Assembly in November 2023 but was discarded due to the expiration of the legislative term.

The coalition held placards reading "Auction houses, hotbeds of illegality, must be shut down" and "Do you know the reality of licensed breeding facilities?" and chanted slogans such as "The government, which has only issued permits and neglected oversight, is complicit in animal abuse" and "The National Assembly must propose the Lucy Law to abolish auction houses."

Lucy's Friends referred to the rescue of approximately 300 dogs from a breeding facility on Ganghwado Island, Incheon, on July 24, stating, "The dogs at the breeding facility were densely confined in illegal wire cages where their feet would fall through, and were fed livestock waste instead of proper feed," adding, "This is the grim reality of the pet industry."

They emphasized, "The widespread illegality and animal abuse in breeding facilities nationwide is not the result of a few rogue businesses," and stated, "Under the systemic neglect of the government and local authorities, auction houses have completed an industrial structure in which they purchase animals cheaply from breeding facilities and resell them at high prices to pet shops." Kim Hyunyu, head of KK9 Rescue, said, "The 18 auction houses that control pet distribution are monopolizing profits, exploiting not only the animals but also the breeders."

The coalition demanded the re-legislation of the Korean Lucy Law, stating, "Through the integration of breeding and sales, only those who are strictly qualified should be allowed to manage animals, and adopting animals from shelters should become the norm."

After the press conference, the coalition filed a complaint with the Jongno Police Station in Seoul against the breeder in question, Park Yongcheol, head of Ganghwa County, and three Ganghwa County officials, on charges including violations of the Animal Protection Act and the Waste Management Act.