Near 90 percent of Koreans against civil law clause categorizing animals as objects A stock photo of two dogs running in a field. (123rf) The South Korean government will hold a public debate next week on a possible revision to the Civil Act that would redefine the legal status of animals, which are currently treated as objects under civil law.The Ministry of Justice said Tuesday the debate will take place on July 16 at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul, bringing together legal experts, academics and other specialists to discuss legislation on the legal status of animals.The debate will cover three main topics: general animal-related legislation, the proposal to define animals as non-objects, and the treatment of pets during legal seizure procedures.At the center of the discussion is Article 98 of the Civil Act, which defines objects as corporeal things, electricity and other controllable natural forces. Animals have been treated as corporeal things under the provision.The ministry pushed in 2021 to add a new Article 98-2 to the Civil Act stating that “animals are not objects.” The bill, however, was discarded at the end of the 21st National Assembly after failing to make progress in parliament.The issue has drawn growing attention as Korea’s pet-owning population has expanded, with critics saying the current legal framework limits compensation for harm to companion animals and can allow pets to be treated as property subject to seizure.According to the ministry, 87.8 percent of respondents in a Gallup Korea survey of 1,000 adults conducted last month said they supported defining animals separately from objects. Some 51.2 percent said they had not known that animals are legally regarded as objects.“I hope the debate will provide a foundation for improving the legal status of animals,” Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said. “We will do our best to pursue legislation that ensures animals are no longer regarded as objects.”