Passerby rescues three puppies found in clothing donation bin in northern Seoul

Three puppies, believed to be just a week old, were found abandoned in a clothing donation bin in northern Seoul, prompting public outrage.

A picture of the three abandoned puppies found in northern Seoul on May 15 [JTBC]

Three puppies, believed to be just a week old, were found abandoned in a clothing donation bin in northern Seoul, prompting public outrage.

A passerby rescued the puppies from a donation bin on a street in Gangbuk District at around 3 a.m. on Thursday, according to a report by cable channel JTBC, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“I was out walking my dog when I heard a whimpering sound,” the finder said. “I suspected it might be a puppy and checked the surroundings, only to find the sound coming from the donation bin.”

When they looked inside, they found a black plastic bag that was moving. They tried to contact an animal protection center, but could not reach anyone because it was the early hours of the morning, so they decided to rescue the animals themselves.

After tipping the donation bin on its side, they retrieved the bag and found three puppies inside, tied up in the bag. Two of the puppies were still alive, though their eyes had not yet opened, while one had already died.

Picture of an abandoned dog taken in 2024 in Gyeonggi. [JOONGANG ILBO]

They took the surviving puppies home to temporarily care for them and said they plan to hand them over to an animal protection center soon.

They also reported the case to the police, calling for an investigation into the suspected animal abuse.

“There was a surveillance camera pointing at the donation bin,” they said. “I will soon check the footage with the police.”

According to the civic organization Korean Animal Welfare Association, 112,226 animals were abandoned in Korea in 2022. Of those, dogs accounted for 71.3 percent, or 79,976. Only 28.1 percent were adopted, while 27.1 percent died naturally and 17.0 percent were euthanized.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY JANG GU-SEUL [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]