{"id":10934,"date":"2026-10-23T14:00:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T14:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=10934"},"modified":"2026-10-23T14:00:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T14:00:06","slug":"middle-schooler-bitten-by-pet-cobra-spotlighting-illegal-exotic-pet-ownership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=10934","title":{"rendered":"Middle schooler bitten by pet cobra, spotlighting illegal exotic pet ownership"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>1 Minute, 30 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"gettyimagesbank\"<\/picture>
\n

gettyimagesbank<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Police plan to investigate how the cobra was traded before deciding whether to formally book him.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

gettyimagesbank 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-korea"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t