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Until now, there has been no proper punishment or compensation for animal-related disputes and animal cruelty. This is because animals are treated as 'things' under the Civil Act, but this time, the amendment to the law has been announced.
Reporter Bae Jun-woo on the sidewalk.
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A man is dragging a dog with a lasso in the middle of a road in Busan.
The man was charged with animal cruelty, but was only fined 1 million won.
When SBS analyzed 116 rulings charged only with animal cruelty over the past eight years, only one sentenced a prison sentence.
Even in civil lawsuits, if a companion animal is killed or injured, it is common to receive compensation based on the value of the animal, for example, the adoption price.
This may be absurd for those who consider pets as family, but the result is that animals are defined as objects in the current civil law.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice decided to grant legal status in itself by establishing a new clause that animals are not objects.
If the legislative notice prepared by the Ministry of Justice passes the National Assembly, there is a high possibility that the punishment for animal cruelty will be higher and the scope of compensation will be widened.
[Jeong Jae-min / Justice Minister, Ministry of Justice: In the legal system that views (animals) as life, the level of punishment for cruelty to animals is unlikely to be the same. It is expected that the level of punishment will also be adjusted.]
He said he is also discussing a bill to claim alimony from the perpetrators even when animals are killed or injured.
However, he added that, unlike the Animal Protection Act, which defines a wide range of categories from animals with nervous systems, the categories should be adjusted in consideration of the relationship with humans in the Civil Code.
(Video coverage: Yang Doo-won, Video editing: Park Ki-duk)
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