'Guard geese' becoming more common in Korea: report
The so-called "goose agents," which made headlines recently after their use at a Brazilian prison, appear to be increasingly deployed at farms and factories in South Korea in recent months.
Several cases have emerged of agricultural and industrial facilities in rural areas using domestic geese as guard animals. One example, reported by the Korean-language daily Chosun Ilbo, involves a steel factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, which reportedly purchased four geese for nighttime security.
"Repeated thefts were giving me headaches, and an acquaintance suggested I should get geese. They cost less than Jindo dogs (indigenous species in Korea known for their loyalty and ferocity), and are easier to manage," the factory owner Jeong Tae-ho was quoted as saying.
A farm in Yangju of the same province reportedly saw its guard geese chase away a trespasser in a car, with male geese's loud honking and aggression being "beyond imagination."
In 2023 and 2024, multiple international media outlets reported that a prison in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina replaced patrol dogs with geese. The birds were said to be patrolling the space between the inner fence and outer walls, showing aggression toward out-of-line inmates.
The reports also quoted affordability as the main appeal for using guard geese.
While not generally considered a particularly intimidating animal, geese have actually been used for security purposes throughout history. A record shows showed geese alerted the Romans during the Battle of the Allia in 387 BC, and there have been multiple cases of the birds being used to supplement dogs, drones, or humans at warehouses or even military and police facilities worldwide.
Geese tend to make loud noises when approached by strangers, and are deceptively strong due to their large size. They are known to be loyal and friendly to a human they perceive as a pack leader.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
'Guard geese' becoming more common in Korea: report
More factories, farms opting to use geese to safeguard their property instead of dogs The so-called "goose agents," which made headlines recently after their use at a Brazilian prison, appear to be increasingly deployed at farms and factories in South Korea in recent months. Several cases have emerged of agricultural and industrial facilities in rural areas using domestic geese as guard animals. One example, reported by the Korean-language daily Chosun Ilbo, involves a steel factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, which reportedly purchased four geese for nighttime security. "Repeated thefts were giving me headaches, and an acquaintance suggested I should get geese. They cost less than Jindo dogs (indigenous species in Korea known for their loyalty and ferocity), and are easier to manage," the factory owner Jeong Tae-ho was quoted as saying. A farm in Yangju of the same province reportedly saw its guard geese chase away a trespasser in a car, with male geese's loud honking and aggression being "beyond imagination." In 2023 and 2024, multiple international media outlets reported that a prison in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina replaced patrol dogs with geese. The birds were said to be patrolling the space between the inner fence and outer walls, showing aggression toward out-of-line inmates. The reports also quoted affordability as the main appeal for using guard geese. While not generally considered a particularly intimidating animal, geese have actually been used for security purposes throughout history. A record shows showed geese alerted the Romans during the Battle of the Allia in 387 BC, and there have been multiple cases of the birds being used to supplement dogs, drones, or humans at warehouses or even military and police facilities worldwide. Geese tend to make loud noises when approached by strangers, and are deceptively strong due to their large size. They are known to be loyal and friendly to a human they perceive as a pack leader.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Customs agency nabs 2 firms for evading tariffs for steel exports to EU
The Korea Customs Service said Monday it has nabbed two local companies on charges of illegally exporting steel products to the European Union without paying tariffs. The two companies have been referred to the prosecution for allegedly exporting some 126,000 tons of color-coated steel sheets, worth 230 billion won ($168.5 million) to EU member nations between 2020 and 2023 without paying any duties, according to the agency's Seoul office. The companies are suspected of having filed false reports that their shipments are headed to a non-EU country to evade tariffs, while, in reality, shipping them to EU countries. The EU has set quarterly import quotas for each country, under which imports within the quota are tariff-free, while those exceeding the quota are subject to a 25 percent tariff. The Seoul customs authority said the companies "unfairly" took away opportunity for duty-free exports of other Korean steel manufacturers who followed necessary procedures. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Korea Herald
Lawyer warns of supply chain risks tied to forced labor in Korea and overseas
Despite being a developed country with strong labor protections on paper, South Korea continues to overlook forced labor practices both within its borders and in overseas supply chains tied to Korean companies, a public interest lawyer told a forum in Seoul on Thursday. Speaking at the forum 'Addressing Forced Labor in Global Supply Chains,' co-hosted by the National Assembly Labor Forum, the National Human Rights Commission and the Korean Bar Association, Kim Jong-chul, a lawyer and senior researcher at Advocates for Public Interest Law, stressed that Korea must act now to identify and monitor areas at risk of forced labor, or face growing international scrutiny. In South Korea, the issue of forced labor first gained public attention in 2014, when a man with a developmental disability escaped from a salt farm on an isolated island off the southwest coast of Korea where he had been subjected to years of abuse and exploitation. His escape led to a nationwide government investigation and multiple indictments. However, similar cases reemerged in 2021, with nearly identical patterns. Employers exploited vulnerable people, mainly those with disabilities and intellectual impairments, while posing as their guardians, providing shelter and food. In reality, they seized their ID cards, isolated them from outside help and subjected them to physical abuse, intimidation and debt bondage. In many cases, wages were withheld and victims were forced to work long hours without rest. 'Despite multiple prosecutions, few perpetrators were held accountable for forced labor,' Kim said. 'In 2014, only one of the many indicted was convicted specifically for forced labor.' The lawyer also criticized the government's failure to properly protect victims, noting that some who escaped or sought help ended up returning to the places where they had been abused. Adding to the problem is the lack of accountability for companies sourcing from salt farms, an issue thrust into the spotlight recently by a surprise US sanction on a Korean firm. In April, US Customs and Border Protection banned imports from Taepyung Salt Farm, one of Korea's largest producers, citing allegations of forced labor. The action followed a 2022 petition filed by Korean civic groups urging the US government to ban imports of Korean sea salt allegedly produced through forced labor. In response to the sanction, the Korean government emphasized that it had already implemented reform measures since the 2021 case, including conducting annual surveys on labor conditions at salt farms. Kim also addressed supply chain risks abroad. Citing his 2013 visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he said he investigated forced labor at a local school where students and teachers were mobilized to harvest cotton and classrooms were converted into dormitories. That cotton, he said, was later used by Korean textile companies and by the state-run Korea Minting and Security Printing Corp. to produce banknotes, as part of government-supported investment projects. These products are openly sold in major discount chains run by Korea's largest conglomerates. Without a law banning imports of goods made with forced labor, he warned, Korea remains complicit in such practices through its supply chains. Furthermore, according to the lawyer, Korea itself produces seafood through forced labor. 'While there have been improvements compared to the past, the fisheries industry remains the sector most vulnerable to forced labor.' About 80 percent of workers on distant-water fishing vessels are migrant seafarers, Kim said. According to the international non-governmental organization Environmental Justice Foundation, many migrant workers in Korea experience passport confiscation, wages below the minimum standard and long working hours, he said. 'These human rights violations against migrant fishers are not merely a matter of poor labor practices — they are legal issues.' According to a 2023 report by international human rights group Walk Free, Korea imported an estimated $200 billion worth of goods potentially made with forced labor. Kim said that if the recently proposed Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence Act is passed, it could help address the issue of forced labor to some extent. The bill, reintroduced in June by Rep. Jung Tae-ho of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, would require companies to assess potential human rights and environmental risks in their supply chains in advance and establish measures to address them.
