November 4, 2025
SEOUL – Long known for its leafy, serene campus nestled in the foothills of Gwanaksan, Seoul National University has recently become home to a growing number of feral dogs.
According to the Gwanak-gu Office, a total of 63 stray dogs were captured in the district between January and October this year, marking a steady rise from 46 in 2023 and 56 last year.
Officials estimate that around 30 of them live on Gwanaksan, where they continue to breed and sustain their numbers.
Last month, six feral dogs were captured near the university’s dormitory buildings by experts dispatched from the Gwanak-gu Office, who used tranquilizer guns to subdue them.
In January last year, a Seoul National University student sustained minor injuries after being bitten by two stray dogs near the campus.
As the roaming pack of dogs has been spotted more often around the campus in recent months, fear has spread among students, particularly near dormitories and other buildings by the mountain trails.
Some students have turned to online communities to exchange advice on how to respond when they spot the dogs.
On Everytime, a campus forum widely used by college students, one user claiming to be a wild dog expert shared a list of survival tips, including: “Don’t make eye contact or try to greet them,” “Don’t scream out of fear” and “If you’re holding food, just toss it on the ground.”
A post on Everytime, a popular online community for university students, shares purported expert tips on what to do when encountering feral dogs. PHOTO: EVERYTIME/THE KOREA HERALD
While it is unclear exactly when feral dogs first began appearing on the SNU campus, sightings became more frequent around 2017, when the university installed nine capture traps across the campus, officials said.
Despite continued efforts to capture the animals, their population has remained difficult to control, as they continue to reproduce.
“When dog meat restaurants that used to operate in the district closed down, many dogs raised for slaughter were released into the mountains. They’ve continued to breed since then, keeping their population stable and making it hard to capture them all,” an official from the Gwanak-gu Office said.
Since 2022, the district office has operated a five-member team of experts and veterinarians to safely capture feral dogs. The captured animals are transferred to a local animal shelter, which posts online notices to find potential adopters. If no one comes forward within 10 days of the posting, they are euthanized.
With winter setting in, feral dogs are expected to venture down from the mountains more frequently in search of food.
Experts advise avoiding contact with the wild dogs, whose strong instincts make them unpredictable.
“Long-term management measures like sterilization are also needed in addition to capture operations,” said an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Management Headquarters.
