Some 120 people are hospitalized due to dog attacks annually in South Korea, but about 30 percent of dog owners in the attacks do not pay the medical expenses of the victims, data showed Monday.

A woman, who ran an upscale Korean restaurant, died from sepsis in October after being bitten by a pet dog of Korean singer and actor Choi Si-won’s family. The incident began to make headlines last week, raising public concerns about dog attacks. 


Rep. In Jae-keun of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea cited the National Health Insurance Service at a parliamentary audit Monday to say that more than 560 people had been injured by pet dogs from 2013 to July this year. On average, about 120 people were attacked per year.

The NHIS covers a certain percentage of the medical costs on behalf of the victims. It charges the pet owners later to cover remaining expenses. Some owners, however, refused to pay the NHIS.

The health agency spent a total of 1.06 billion won ($880,000) for pet-related accidents from 2013 through September this year. It failed to recover 331 million won across 108 cases.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)