Middle schooler bitten by pet cobra, spotlighting illegal exotic pet ownership

A 14-year-old boy in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, was bitten by a cobra Tuesday while taking it out of its cage to sell, and was airlifted to a hospital for anti-venom treatment. The forest cobra is a designated wild animal whose trade and possession are prohibited in principle under the Wildlife Protection and Management Act. Police plan to investigate how it was traded before deciding whether to formally book the boy. The case follows other incidents involving illegally kept dangerous wild animals, including a Siamese crocodile found in Yeoju.

The boy showed signs of paralysis after the bite and was taken to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

He had obtained the forest cobra through an online community.

A man in his 30s was booked after a Siamese crocodile he bought for 1.2 million won through an online reptile-trading community was caught in a stream in Yeoju in July.

In 2016, a social media personality received a four-month prison sentence for keeping a Siamese crocodile at home for eight years and feeding it rabbits and other animals.

Published Oct 23, 2026 3:31 pm KST

A middle school student bitten by a cobra while trying to trade it illegally has been caught by police, raising concerns about illegal ownership of wild animals.

According to the police, a 14-year-old boy in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, was bitten on the back of his hand by a cobra Tuesday, prompting an emergency call to 119. He showed signs of paralysis and was airlifted to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, where he received anti-venom treatment.

The bite reportedly occurred when he took the cobra out of its cage to sell it to another person. The snake was a forest cobra, which he had obtained through an online community. The species is a designated wild animal under the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, and trading or keeping it is prohibited in principle.

Police plan to investigate how the cobra was traded before deciding whether to formally book him.

This is the latest case of someone in Korea being caught illegally keeping dangerous wild animals. In July, a crocodile caught in a stream in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, was identified as a Siamese crocodile. The species is listed as a Class 1 internationally endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Siamese crocodile caught in Yeoju stream, exposing exotic pet risks

A man in his 30s was booked by police on charges of keeping the crocodile he bought in 2023 for 1.2 million won ($905) through an online community that trades reptiles.

Illegal possession of the species has led to prison sentences before. In 2016, a social media personality was sentenced to four months in prison for violating the Wildlife Protection and Management Act after keeping a Siamese crocodile at home for eight years and feeding it rabbits and other animals.

周二，忠清北道清州市一名14岁男孩在将眼镜蛇从笼子里取出准备出售时被咬伤，随后被空运至医院接受抗蛇毒血清治疗。根据《野生动物保护和管理法》，森林眼镜蛇属于指定野生动物，原则上禁止交易和持有。警方计划调查该眼镜蛇的交易方式，然后再决定是否正式对该男孩立案。此前，韩国还发生过其他非法饲养危险野生动物的事件，包括在骊州发现的一条暹罗鳄。

男孩被咬后出现瘫痪症状，被送往京畿道城南市的武力首都医院。

他通过一个网络社区获得了这条森林眼镜蛇。

一名30多岁的男子因7月份在骊州一条溪流中捕获一条价值120万韩元的暹罗鳄而被警方逮捕。这条暹罗鳄是他通过在线爬行动物交易社区购买的。

2016年，一位社交媒体名人因在家中饲养暹罗鳄长达八年，并喂它兔子和其他动物而被判处四个月监禁。

发布于2026年10月23日下午3:31（韩国标准时间）

一名中学生在试图非法交易眼镜蛇时被咬伤，已被警方抓获，这引发了人们对非法拥有野生动物的担忧。

据警方称，周二，忠清北道清州市一名14岁男孩被眼镜蛇咬伤手背，随后拨打119紧急求助。他出现瘫痪症状，被空运至京畿道城南市的武力首都医院接受抗蛇毒血清治疗。

据报道，事发时他将眼镜蛇从笼子里取出，准备卖给他人，结果被咬伤。这条蛇是森林眼镜蛇，是他通过网络社区获得的。根据《野生动物保护和管理法》，森林眼镜蛇属于指定野生动物，原则上禁止交易或饲养。

警方计划先调查这条眼镜蛇是如何被交易的，然后再决定是否正式逮捕他。

这是韩国近期发生的又一起非法饲养危险野生动物的案件。今年7月，在京畿道骊州市一条溪流中捕获的鳄鱼被确认为暹罗鳄。根据《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》，暹罗鳄被列为国际一级濒危物种。

暹罗鳄在骊州溪流被捕获，暴露异宠风险

一名 30 多岁的男子因非法饲养鳄鱼而被警方立案调查。他于 2023 年通过一个爬行动物交易的在线社区以 120 万韩元（905 美元）的价格购买了这条鳄鱼。

非法饲养该物种此前曾导致过监禁。2016年，一名社交媒体名人因违反《野生动物保护和管理法》被判处四个月监禁，原因是她在家中饲养了一条暹罗鳄长达八年，并喂食兔子和其他动物。