The Seoul Metropolitan Government will strengthen enforcement of bans on feeding feral pigeons in designated no-feeding zones starting this month.
According to the city on the 29th, June will be operated as an intensive enforcement period, after which the city will switch to an as-needed enforcement system to enhance effectiveness.
In April last year, Seoul designated and announced a total of 38 locations as no-feeding zones for feral pigeons, including major parks and plazas such as Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Plaza, and Seoul Forest, as well as 11 districts of Hangang Park. Since July 1 of the same year, the city has been implementing a system that imposes fines for providing food within these zones. A first violation incurs a fine of 200,000 won, a second 500,000 won, and a third or more a maximum of 1 million won.
Until now, the program has been operated mainly through promotion and guidance. After conducting on-site guidance for about three months, the city implemented the system, and has carried out a total of 940 guidance measures so far. From June, the city will raise the intensity of enforcement toward directly imposing fines.
Looking at the trend of civil complaints during the first year of the system's implementation, positive signs have emerged. While the total number of complaints rose from 1,481 in 2024 to 1,658 in 2025, complaints related to hygiene and the living environment, such as droppings and noise, decreased. On the other hand, complaints requesting stronger feeding enforcement and the designation of additional no-feeding zones surged from 15 to 910 over the same period. The city interprets this as a result of the spread of public awareness about the program.
Providing food is the direct cause of pigeon concentration in urban areas. Feral pigeons, which originally lived in mountainous and natural habitats, have adapted to urban environments and secured food, and as the amount of food provided by people increased, their numbers grew, leading to problems such as feces, foul odors, and facility contamination. At the district level, a growing number of areas are designating and operating their own no-feeding zones, centered on children's parks and neighborhood parks.
Separately from pigeons, the appearance of large-billed crows in urban areas is also on the rise. May to July is the period when large-billed crow chicks leave their nests, and as the mother's aggressiveness intensifies, it is safer not to feed them when their calls are heard and to take a detour without contact.
"The small practice of not feeding and the management of food waste will contribute to creating a pleasant urban environment for citizens and a healthy ecosystem for wildlife by reducing excessive dependence on humans," said Lee Chang-hoon, head of Seoul's Nature and Ecology Division.
