Work

South Korea’s National Animal Welfare Policies in Comparison to Legal Frameworks and Systems in Other Countries

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: It is essential to establish a normative framework that ensures the harmonious coexistence of humans and animals from legal and institutional perspectives. This study classifies and compares animal welfare policies in welfare states, identifying distinct policy types across different countries. Using fuzzy set ideal type analysis, this study examines seven OECD countries: Austria, Denmark, Germany, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (USA). These countries are consistent with Esping-Andersen's three welfare state models and actively implement animal welfare policies. This study addresses the limitations of previous studies that focused primarily on animal-related discourses by examining the characteristics of different policy types that integrate two core components of animal welfare policy: animal welfare law and animal welfare systems. This analysis identified four types of animal welfare policies: (1) economic value type (South Korea and the USA); (2) social value type (the UK); (3) rights extension type (Denmark, Germany, and Sweden); and (4) ecological type (Austria). The results show that welfare state animal welfare policies are generally consistent with the ideological characteristics of the welfare system in question. However, Korea presents notable differences, providing valuable insights into its unique approach to animal welfare policy and informing future policy development.

Source: Animals

DOI: 10.3390/ani15091224

Authors: Yeonjin Park, Hochul Shin, Dahee Park

Institution: Konkuk University

Language: English

Topic: Animal Law and Welfare

Subfield: Law

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896