Find more ways to help: https://koreandogs.org/campsite-dogs

The sight of innocent lives shivering on frozen ground is a stain on our collective conscience. In the depths of winter, several dogs—including 3-month-old puppies—were found tethered to metal poles at a public-facing campsite in Yangpyeong County, left to endure snow and sub-zero temperatures without proper shelter. Treated as expendable despite South Korea’s animal protection laws, their lives were placed in immediate danger by this blatant neglect. Acting on a tip-off, CARE intervened to address the immediate danger, but no temporary fix can undo the suffering already inflicted.

CARE is working urgently to find warm foster and permanent homes for these puppies, but rescue alone is not enough. At KoreanDogs.org, we are calling on the public to demand justice: hold the owners accountable and ensure that animal abuse and severe neglect are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Leaving dogs chained in freezing conditions is not a misunderstanding—it is a crime.

Sadly, cases like this are not isolated; they are part of a widespread pattern of indifference, perpetuated because abuse often goes unpunished. True change will only come when perpetrators face consequences. Public action is essential to make sure justice is served and to improve the welfare of all dogs in Korea.

Sharing for Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE)

[URGENT] Frozen and Tethered: Dogs and Puppies Abused at a Yangpyeong Camping Site  

The heartbreaking sight of dogs tied to metal poles, shivering in the snow without shelter, has sparked widespread outrage. In a nation of 15 million pet owners, this is a grim reminder that animal neglect still hides in plain sight.

The Intervention
Acting on a single tip-off, Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) rushed to a campsite in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. They were joined by the local Animal Protection Team, who will be issuing a formal corrective order following their investigation.

The Current Situation
Upon arrival, CARE found the owners assembling new doghouses. They claimed previous shelters had blown away and that the dogs were tethered to prevent fighting caused by unmanaged breeding. While the husband dismissed the weather, claiming “dogs don’t feel the cold,” the wife listened to our concerns and pledged to rectify their care immediately.

CARE’s Demands
Shelters and cushions have now been provided, but a life on a short leash in freezing temperatures is no life at all. CARE has demanded the installation of proper fencing and individual kennels to ensure these dogs are never tethered again. We are monitoring the site closely as the owners wait for the frozen ground to thaw to complete the fencing.

CARE Needs You: Fosters & Adopters Wanted!  
While CARE is devastated that they cannot rescue every dogs, they are determined to get the 3-month-old Samoyed-mix puppies into warm, loving homes immediately.
• Who: Beautiful Samoyed-mix puppies (approx. 3 months old).
• Goal: Urgent Foster or Permanent Adoption.
• How to help: Share this post. Your visibility is their lifeline.
Ready to open your heart? Let’s get these babies out of the cold.

Contact CARE:   Phone: (02) 313-8886   Email: care@animalrights.or.kr

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rXMFtyI26fA

 

PETITION:

Petition to Yangpyeong County, the Prosecution Service, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Demand Accountability for Dogs and Puppies Tethered and Exposed to Freezing Conditions in Yangpyeong

To the Head of Yangpyeong County,
The Animal Protection Team of Yangpyeong County,
The Prosecution Service,
And the relevant authorities under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs:

We urgently call on the government to take decisive action in the case of multiple dogs, including 3-month-old puppies, found tethered to metal poles and left exposed to snow and sub-zero temperatures at a public campsite business in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. This case came to light following a citizen tip-off and was documented through the intervention of CARE (Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth).

At discovery, the dogs were confined on short leashes, forced to stand and sleep on frozen ground without adequate shelter. The owners reportedly dismissed the danger, claiming that dogs “do not feel the cold,” demonstrating blatant disregard for animal welfare and directly contradicting veterinary science and basic humane standards. Tethering was reportedly used to control unmanaged breeding, resulting in prolonged restraint and exposure that placed the animals’ lives at serious risk. That this occurred on a commercial property open to the public further underscores the owners’ responsibility to provide safe, humane conditions for all animals under their care.

Although shelters and bedding were later provided, these measures came only after public exposure and official intervention. Temporary fixes cannot undo the suffering already inflicted, nor do they guarantee the dogs’ long-term safety. Leaving dogs chained outdoors in freezing conditions constitutes severe neglect and abuse under the Animal Protection Act and must be treated as a serious legal violation, not a correctable oversight.

Cases like this are not isolated incidents in Korea; they are part of a widespread pattern of neglect that continues because abuse often goes unpunished. Only when perpetrators are held accountable will attitudes toward animals change and the welfare of all dogs begin to improve.

We therefore urge the relevant authorities to take the following actions immediately:

1. Conduct a full investigation into the owners for violations of the Animal Protection Act, including neglect, improper tethering, and exposure to life-threatening conditions.

2. Take immediate legal action to ensure that acts of abuse carry real consequences.

3. Enforce corrective orders with strict oversight, including a permanent prohibition on tethering and the mandatory installation of proper fencing and individual kennels that provide warmth and protection.

4. Remove any animals still at risk into protective custody if compliance is delayed, inadequate, or reversed.

5. Strengthen monitoring and enforcement practices to prevent similar cases from continuing unchecked in rural and commercial settings.

Dogs left chained and freezing are not victims of misunderstanding—they are victims of deliberate neglect and abuse. South Korea’s Animal Protection Act exists to prevent exactly this kind of suffering. We urge Yangpyeong County and the Prosecution Service to act swiftly, transparently, and decisively to ensure justice in this case, hold the owners accountable, and send a clear message that animal neglect will not be tolerated.

An online petition demanding urgent intervention is now active and has already garnered growing public support: https://c.org/fpzk8Hyp4g Public action is essential to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that no dog ever suffers so callously again.

Sincerely,

PETITION IN KOREAN:

양평군, 검찰청, 농림축산식품부 대상 청원서: 양평 캠핑장 개·강아지 학대 사건 책임 촉구

양평군 군수님, 양평군 동물보호팀, 검찰청, 농림축산식품부 관련 관계자께:

경기도 양평군 캠핑장에서 쇠기둥에 묶여 눈과 영하의 날씨에 노출된 여러 마리 개, 그중 생후 3개월 된 강아지들도 포함된 사건과 관련하여, 정부가 신속하고 단호한 조치를 취할 것을 긴급히 촉구합니다. 이 사건은 시민 제보로 알려졌으며, 동물권단체케어의 현장 개입을 통해 확인되었습니다.

발견 당시 개들은 짧은 목줄에 묶여 얼어붙은 땅 위에서 서서 자야 했으며, 충분한 보호 시설도 갖추어져 있지 않았습니다. 소유자는 ‘개는 춥지 않다’고 주장하며 위험을 무시했으며, 이는 명백한 동물복지 무시이자 수의학적·인도적 기준에 정면으로 반하는 행위입니다. 목줄 사용은 관리되지 않는 번식을 통제하기 위한 것이라 하나, 장기간 구속과 노출로 동물의 생명을 심각하게 위협했습니다.

공개적으로 운영되는 상업용 캠핑장에서 발생했다는 점은 소유자가 동물에게 안전하고 인간적인 환경을 제공할 책임을 더욱 강조합니다. 이후 임시로 보호소와 침구가 제공되었지만, 이는 공개와 당국 개입 후에야 이루어진 조치로, 이미 입은 고통을 되돌릴 수 없으며 장기적 안전을 보장하지 않습니다. 얼어붙은 야외에서 개를 묶어 두는 행위는 동물보호법상 심각한 방치와 학대에 해당하며, 단순 시정으로 넘어갈 사안이 아닙니다.

이와 같은 사건은 한국에서 드문 일이 아니며, 학대가 종종 처벌되지 않기 때문에 반복되는 방치의 광범위한 패턴의 일부입니다. 범죄자가 책임을 질 때만, 사람들의 동물에 대한 태도가 바뀌고 모든 개들의 복지가 향상될 수 있습니다.

따라서 관련 당국에 다음과 같은 조치를 즉시 요구합니다:

1. 동물보호법 위반(방치, 부적절한 목줄 사용, 생명 위협적 환경 노출 등)에 대한 소유자 전면 조사

2. 즉각적으로 법적 조치를 취하여 학대 행위에 대해 실질적인 책임을 물을 것

3. 시정 명령을 철저히 집행하고, 목줄 사용을 영구적으로 금지하며, 동물에게 따뜻함과 안전을 제공할 수 있는 적절한 울타리와 개별 견사 설치를 의무화할 것

4. 준수 지연, 불충분, 시정 역행 시 위험에 처한 동물 보호 조치

5. 농촌 및 상업 시설에서 유사 사례가 반복되지 않도록 모니터링과 집행 강화

얼어붙은 상태로 묶인 개들은 단순한 오해의 피해자가 아니라 명백한 방치와 학대의 피해자입니다. 대한민국 동물보호법은 바로 이러한 고통을 예방하기 위해 존재합니다. 우리는 양평군과 검찰청이 신속·투명·단호하게 이 사건에 대한 정의를 실현하고, 소유자를 책임지게 하며, 동물 방치가 용납되지 않는다는 명확한 메시지를 사회에 전달할 것을 촉구합니다.

현재 긴급 개입을 요구하는 온라인 청원이 진행 중이며, 점점 많은 시민들의 지지를 받고 있습니다: https://c.org/fpzk8Hyp4g 국민의 행동은 가해자를 책임지게 하고, 어떤 개도 다시는 이렇게 잔인하게 고통받지 않도록 보장하는 데 필수적입니다.