Data released on World Animal Day shows sharp rise in monkey testing; cosmetics sector sees growing use despite ban; lawmaker calls for faster adoption of alternatives

A mouse undergoes a muscle strength test in a laboratory. [Herald DB]
A mouse undergoes a muscle strength test in a laboratory. [Herald DB]

Nearly 15 million animals were used in laboratory experiments in South Korea over the past five years, according to national audit data released Sunday on World Animal Day.

The figures also show a sharp rise in the use of monkeys for testing and a growing number of animals killed in cosmetics-related experiments.

Rep. Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, cited data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety during the national audit, showing that about 14.91 million animals were used in experiments over the past five years.

Nam called for greater development and adoption of alternative testing methods to reduce unnecessary animal deaths.

Of the approximately 14.91 million animals used over the five-year period, mice accounted for the vast majority at about 13.37 million, or 89.7 percent. Rats followed at about 1.01 million (6.8 percent), guinea pigs at 244,383 (1.6 percent), rabbits at 108,150 (0.7 percent) and dogs at 29,552 (0.2 percent).

Among all species, monkeys saw the steepest year-on-year increase in 2025, with usage rising 52.1 percent compared with 2024. Hamsters were next at 26.7 percent, followed by rabbits at 4.1 percent.

By purpose, pharmaceutical and related testing accounted for the largest share of animal use in 2025, with about 2.75 million animals — 91.6 percent of the total — used in that category. The cosmetics sector recorded the highest growth rate, with the number of animals used rising 29.9 percent from the previous year.

A separate report on animal experimentation submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety showed that as of December 2025, there were 493 registered animal testing facilities nationwide, with 21 newly registered last year. By type, pharmaceutical and other private companies made up the largest group at 169, followed by universities and other educational institutions at 155, private research institutes and government-affiliated bodies at 123, hospitals at 25, and government and local authorities at 21.

There were 84 registered laboratory animal suppliers in total, with seven newly registered last year. Sellers numbered 33, producers 30 and importers 21.

"On World Animal Day, we must reflect on the pain and sacrifice of animals used in experiments," Nam said. "Animal testing not only raises ethical concerns but also has inherent limitations in applying results to humans due to biological differences between species. We must actively use alternative testing methods to reduce unnecessary animal experiments."

Nam also said the government needs to examine why the use of animals in cosmetics-related testing has increased despite a ban on cosmetics animal testing that has been in effect since 2017. She added that legislation to support the research, development and commercialization of advanced alternative testing methods should be enacted without delay to strengthen South Korea's international competitiveness in the field.


abc@heraldcorp.com