The number of abandoned animals in South Korea climbed 12 percent on-year to more than 130,000 in 2019 with dogs taking up the majority, government data showed.

A total of 135,791 dogs, cats and other pets got deserted or lost last year, compared with 121,077 a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the state-run Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.

Dogs accounted for 75.4 percent of the total, with cats making up 23.5 percent. It cost 23.2 billion won ($18.9 million) to operate 284 nationwide shelters for those ownerless animals last year. (Yonhap)