Are Roof Rats Legal in South Korea? Keeping, Breeding & Selling

Keeping / owning   Restricted

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-08

Keeping a roof rat is permitted ONLY under a transitional grandfather clause for animals already owned before the White List took effect (Dec 14, 2025). Such owners must file a possession declaration (보관 신고, Form 31-9) with their local mayor/county/district head through the national WIMS portal no later than June 13, 2026. A registered owner then receives a declaration certificate (신고확인증) and may keep that specific individual animal for the rest of its natural life. From June 14, 2026 onward, possessing an unregistered R. rattus is illegal harboring of contraband wildlife, subject to confiscation and penalties. No new acquisition is possible, the species is a ‘Designated Managed Wild Animal’ (지정관리 야생동물) because it is not on the 백색목록 White List.

Sources: National Law Information Center (법제처 국가법령정보센터), Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (기후에너지환경부), Gimpo City Government (김포시청)

Breeding   Prohibited

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-08

Breeding (증식) is unequivocally prohibited for both private citizens and commercial entities. The grandfather clause that allows continued possession of pre-existing animals expressly forbids breeding: municipal enforcement guidance states grandfathered Designated Managed Wild Animals ‘may continue to be kept, but breeding and trading are not permitted’ (증식·거래는 허용하지 않는다). The intent is biological containment, to eliminate the captive population over the lifespan of existing individuals. There are no hobbyist exemptions and no breeding permits available for a non-White-List species; even a Wild Animal Business Production License (생산업 허가) only applies to White-List species, so it cannot authorize breeding roof rats.

Sources: National Law Information Center (법제처 국가법령정보센터), Gimpo City Government (김포시청)

Selling or giving away   Prohibited

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-08

Commercial sale (판매) and private transfer or gifting (양도/양수) are prohibited under the same regime that bans breeding (‘거래는 허용하지 않는다’, trading is not permitted). The grandfathered animal is legally tethered to the individual who filed the possession declaration. The ‘transfer/acquisition’ checkboxes on Form 31-9 exist for White-List animals or narrow state-approved exceptions (e.g., inheritance on the registered owner’s death, or surrender to a licensed facility), not for casual rehoming or sale of a roof rat between hobbyists. A Wild Animal Business Sales License does not help, because it covers only White-List species.

Sources: National Law Information Center (법제처 국가법령정보센터), Gimpo City Government (김포시청)

Transport & import   Restricted

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-08

Importation of R. rattus for the pet trade is banned outright, Designated Managed Wild Animals cannot be imported or brought into the country (Wildlife Act Art. 22-2), the only exemption being a rigorous permit for academic/scientific/state restoration purposes. A shipment intended for the pet trade would be denied entry or confiscated regardless of any origin health certificate. Internal transport of a legally grandfathered, WIMS-registered animal (e.g., to a veterinarian, or when the owner relocates) is generally tolerated as an inherent part of authorized possession, provided the animal is securely contained, never released, and the WIMS location data is updated on a permanent move, but the statute does not give explicit point-to-point transit rules, so confirm provincial-line movement with the Ministry.

Sources: National Law Information Center (법제처 국가법령정보센터), Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency

• If you already own a roof rat (acquired before Dec 14, 2025): file the possession declaration (보관 신고, Form 31-9) via the WIMS portal https://wims.mcee.go.kr by June 13, 2026 to keep the animal lawfully for its natural life
• Do NOT breed, sell, or give the animal away, these are prohibited even for grandfathered/registered animals
• Do NOT import a roof rat, import for the pet trade is banned; a shipment would be confiscated regardless of health certificates
• Update WIMS location data if you move; keep the animal securely contained and never release it

Forms: Form No. 31-9, 지정관리 야생동물 (양도·양수·보관) 신고서 (Designated Managed Wild Animal Transfer/Acquisition/Possession Declaration) · Where: Local mayor / county governor / district head, filed through the national WIMS portal (야생동물종합관리시스템, https://wims.mcee.go.kr)

Source: National Law Information Center (법제처 국가법령정보센터), Gimpo City Government (김포시청)

As of December 14, 2025, South Korea switched from a ‘negative list’ (anything not banned is allowed) to a ‘White List’ (백색목록, positive list) under the Wildlife Protection and Management Act. Every mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian is now banned to import, breed, or sell by default unless the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has expressly approved the species. The approved White List names only 9 mammals, and the roof rat (곰쥐, Rattus rattus) is not one of them (neither is the fancy rat, R. norvegicus). The roof rat is therefore a ‘Designated Managed Wild Animal’ (지정관리 야생동물): importing it is banned, breeding (증식) is prohibited, and selling or giving one away (거래·양도) is prohibited. There is no hobbyist exemption and no permit that reopens breeding or sale. The only people who may keep a roof rat are those who already owned one before Dec 14, 2025 and who register that specific animal through the national WIMS portal (wims.mcee.go.kr) by the deadline of June 13, 2026; from June 14, 2026 an unregistered roof rat is illegal contraband. Korean law treats a captive-bred, hand-tamed roof rat as legally identical to a wild one. Domestication carries no legal weight here; only the species name on the list does.

The ask: There are two separate asks. (1) If you already own a roof rat (acquired before Dec 14, 2025): register that individual animal through the WIMS portal (wims.mcee.go.kr, Form 31-9) before June 13, 2026 so you can lawfully keep it for the rest of its natural life. Do not miss this deadline, and do not breed, sell, or give the animal away. (2) If you want the rule changed: the only lever is the Ministry’s annual White List revision and its public-comment process (2026 백색목록 개정 국민 의견수렴). Submit a comment asking the Ministry to evaluate documented, long-domesticated captive-bred R. rattus lineages for inclusion against the four safety criteria (climate suitability, reproductive rate, hybridization risk, disease risk), and to recognize that domestication, not wild ancestry, is what should decide an animal’s status: the dog descends from the wolf and the cat from a wild felid, yet both are recognized as domestic. The fancy rat is itself the wild brown rat, domesticated only in the 19th century (see https://blonderoofrat.com/how-the-sewer-rat-became-the-fancy-rat/), so a captive-bred roof rat is domesticated in the same way, one species over. A more realistically achievable ask is clear, humane rules for the grandfathered population (compassionate rehoming if an owner dies, and safe veterinary transport across provincial lines). A high-reproduction, climate-suited rodent is a long shot for the White List, so the achievable win is humane treatment of the animals already here.

Where the lever really is: This is a law/list problem, not a bureaucracy-misreading problem. The agency is applying the law correctly: under the positive-list (‘White List’) system effective Dec 14, 2025, every mammal is banned by default unless expressly listed, and the roof rat is not on the 9-mammal approved list (Ministry Notification No. 2025-55). There is nothing to clarify or reinterpret; the rule is unambiguous and the Ministry has no discretion to admit the species on request. An appeal asking the agency to treat a tame, captive-bred roof rat as exempt will not work, because the agency is doing what the statute and the list require. The only lever that can change the outcome is changing the list itself, through the Ministry’s recurring White List revision and its public-comment process, and behind that the legislature that built the positive-list regime. The correct target is the public-comment/rulemaking window for the White List, not an inspector or help-desk. Two notes specific to Korea: (a) there is a live, recurring official comment process for the 2026 White List revision, so the petition channel is open even though success is unlikely for this species; (b) for owners of existing animals, the immediate action is administrative compliance (WIMS registration by June 13, 2026), which is separate from advocacy and is not a request the agency can deny if filed correctly.

Where to send it (more than one channel helps):

• Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (기후에너지환경부), Biodiversity Division (생물다양성과), White List public-comment / 2026 revision process (public comment), official contact page
  The agency that owns the White List and runs the annual revision and public-comment process (2026 백색목록 개정 국민 의견수렴). Because the law is being applied correctly, the ONLY way to change the outcome is to change the list through this channel. Watch the Ministry’s notice board for the live comment notice and its submission instructions/deadline. Division phone: +82-44-201-7245 / -7248.
• e-People (국민신문고), official government petition and opinion portal (public comment), official contact page
  Korea’s single official portal for submitting policy suggestions, opinions, and requests for interpretation to any government agency, including the Ministry. Its ‘Petition for Foreigners’ page accepts submissions and replies in English and 15 other languages, so a non-Korean speaker can lodge a formal, on-record comment directed to the Ministry’s Biodiversity Division. Use this to submit the White List inclusion request or the humane-treatment ask.
• WIMS, Wildlife Information Management System (야생동물종합관리시스템) (executive / agency), official contact page
  NOT an advocacy channel, this is the mandatory portal for the administrative step: existing owners file the possession declaration (Form 31-9) here by June 13, 2026 to lawfully keep their animal. Included because it is the time-critical action for anyone who already owns a roof rat.

A starting-point message, please put it in your own words; a short personal note carries far more weight than an identical form letter:

To the Biodiversity Division, Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment / Public comment on the White List (백색목록) revision

I am writing about the status of the roof rat (곰쥐, Rattus rattus) under the White List system in effect since 14 December 2025. Because the species is not on the approved list, it is treated as a Designated Managed Wild Animal, and keeping, breeding, and transfer are effectively prohibited.

The animals I am concerned with are captive-bred, hand-tamed companion rats kept entirely indoors. They are never released into the wild, never sold into the wild trade, and are descended from long-domesticated lines, biologically and behaviorally distinct from wild-caught roof rats. What should decide an animal's status is domestication, not wild ancestry: the dog descends from the wolf and the domestic cat from a wild felid, yet Korea recognizes both as domestic companion animals, not wildlife. The fancy rat is itself the wild brown rat, domesticated only in the 19th century; a captive-bred roof rat is domesticated in the same way, as are the ferret and the fancy rat.

I respectfully ask the Ministry to (1) evaluate documented, captive-bred domesticated R. rattus lineages for inclusion on the White List against the four safety criteria, and (2) at minimum, adopt clear and humane rules for the already-registered grandfathered population, including compassionate rehoming when an owner dies or is incapacitated, and safe veterinary transport.

Thank you for considering this comment.

[Your name]
[Your city / country]
[Date]

기후에너지환경부 생물다양성과 귀중 / 백색목록(白色目錄) 개정 국민 의견 제출

2025년 12월 14일부터 시행된 백색목록 제도와 관련하여 곰쥐(Rattus rattus)의 분류에 대해 의견을 드립니다. 곰쥐는 백색목록에 포함되어 있지 않아 지정관리 야생동물로 취급되며, 사육·증식·양도가 사실상 금지되어 있습니다.

제가 말씀드리는 개체는 사람 손에서 번식하고 길들여져 실내에서만 기르는 반려 개체입니다. 자연에 방사하지 않으며, 야생 거래에 판매하지 않고, 오랫동안 가축화되어 온 혈통의 후손으로서 야생에서 포획된 곰쥐와는 생물학적·행동학적으로 구별됩니다. 동물의 지위를 결정해야 하는 것은 야생 조상이 아니라 가축화 여부입니다. 개는 늑대에서, 집고양이는 야생 고양잇과 동물에서 유래했지만, 한국은 이 둘을 야생동물이 아닌 반려동물로 인정하고 있습니다. 애완용 시궁쥐(R. norvegicus)도 본래 야생 시궁쥐이며 19세기에 이르러서야 가축화되었습니다. 사육 곰쥐 역시 가축화된 페럿이나 애완용 시궁쥐와 같은 방식으로 가축화된 동물이며, 야생 조상은 우리 앞에 있는 그 동물이 아닙니다.

이에 정중히 요청드립니다. (1) 문서로 입증된 가축화된 사육 곰쥐 혈통을 네 가지 안전성 기준에 따라 백색목록 등재 대상으로 검토하여 주시고, (2) 최소한, 이미 신고된 경과조치(유예) 대상 개체에 대해 명확하고 인도적인 관리 기준을 마련하여 주시기 바랍니다. 여기에는 소유자의 사망이나 중대한 장애 시 인도적 양도, 그리고 동물병원 진료를 위한 안전한 이동이 포함됩니다.

의견을 검토하여 주셔서 감사합니다.

[이름]
[거주 도시 / 국가]
[날짜]

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