A flock of feral pigeons gathers near Seoul Children’s Grand Park in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Juy 1.YONHAP
A man crouched near a Seoul subway station late last month, scooping cat food from a plastic bag and scattering it twice across the pavement. Within moments, pigeons swarmed in. He was one of three people the city caught last month in its first wave of fines under a new crackdown on feeding feral pigeons.
The spot falls within one of Seoul’s 38 designated “no feeding zones” for harmful wildlife, where feeding feral pigeons is punishable by a fine. Police found that the three individuals had collectively scattered between 500 grams and 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cat food inside these restricted areas.
Feral pigeons originally lived in natural habitats such as mountains, but have adapted to city life by eating food and feed given by people and by rummaging through food waste.
As their population has grown, hygiene problems from droppings have worsened, with park visitors commonly seen stepping around bird waste. In response, the Wildlife Protection Act was amended in 2024, allowing local governments to restrict the feeding of harmful wildlife such as feral pigeons through ordinances.
Seoul has designated no-feeding zones under the law, including Seoul Plaza, located in front of Seoul City Hall in Jung District, central Seoul, Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, and Seoul Forest in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul.
A man feeds pigeons at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, on June 1, behind the sign that bans pigeon feeding.NEWS1
Anyone caught feeding pigeons in a prohibited zone faces a fine of 200,000 won ($130) for a first offense, 500,000 won for a second and up to 1 million won for a third or subsequent offense. From the policy's rollout through this past May, the city focused on education and public awareness rather than enforcement, and no fines were issued during that period, though 940 cases of on-site guidance took place. Starting last month, the city began fining people who repeatedly and continuously provided food above a certain amount.
The city said public awareness has been spreading since the policy took effect, pointing to a sharp rise in complaints requesting crackdowns and additional no-feeding zones, from 15 in April last year to 910 a year later. "The designation of no-feeding zones is evidence that it is effective in reducing the inconveniences to daily life caused by feral pigeon droppings and noise," a Seoul city official said.
Still, the city is treading carefully on designating more zones or expanding enforcement, given pushback from animal protection groups. Such groups have said the feeding ban "spreads hatred of animals and encourages disregard for life."
The city maintains that its pigeon-feeding ban is meant to help people and wildlife "coexist" while keeping an appropriate distance from one another. "Small practices like not feeding pigeons and managing food waste properly will help create a pleasant environment for citizens, while also fostering a healthy ecological environment for wildlife by reducing their excessive dependence on people," the official said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
