한국, 영국, 일본의 동물복지 법･정책과 연구기반 비교 연구: 한국 동물보호법 및 반려동물 정책 분석을 중심으로

This study compares the animal welfare laws, policy systems, and research bases of Korea, the United Kingdom, and Japan to examine directions for reforming Korea’s Animal Protection Act and companion animal policies. It analyzes legal and policy documents from the three countries, uses the Animal Protection Index (API) as a supplementary indicator, and conducts a bibliometric analysis of 7,437 SCOPUS and KCI publications from 2005 to 2024. The results show that the United Kingdom has a multi-layered framework combining a comprehensive law, subordinate regulations, and governance mechanisms, whereas Japan and Korea display relatively greater fragmentation in their legal and policy structures. Korea shows a notable concentration of research in domestic journals, but the accumulation of policy-relevant studies remains limited. The study suggests that policy reform should focus on reflecting species-specific characteristics, strengthening the measurability of enforcement standards, and reinforcing research–policy feedback mechanisms.