The public’s attention is fixed on “Nuk-gu,” a two-year-old wolf that recently escaped from a zoo in South Korea. Despite the potential danger an escaped predator could pose to nearby residents, online spaces are filled not with fear, but with overwhelming support for the animal’s “safe return” and “live capture.”

Experts analyze this phenomenon as a form of “psychological projection” by modern individuals. For workers living in a desolate concrete jungle and a rigid social system, the wolf breaking out of its cramped cage is no longer just an animal; it has become a surrogate for the “liberation” they secretly dream of.

Ironically, however, the South Korea that the wolf now faces is merely another form of a “giant cage.” The barren environment—where apartment complexes and highways block the path as soon as one leaves the mountains—vividly reflects the sorrow of modern people who long for freedom but constantly hit the walls of reality. By cheering for the wolf’s survival, the public is finding comfort for their own condition—living in a world where there is truly no place to rest in peace.

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Netizen Comments on the Escaped Wolf (Full Translation)

• 해피하게살자: Please survive… How suffocating it must have been to live in a tiny cage forever. Poorly managed zoos should be closed.
• 짱구: It must be starving and cold all night. Many people probably lost sleep checking for news. Wolfie, hurry back home!
• 가짜루팡: Don’t die, just come back. You’re trapped because of human greed. Poor wolf, only 2 years old, still so young…
• rapa: Please don’t kill it; capture it alive. Stop locking animals in poor facilities for entertainment. Build proper safety measures and release them into the wild where they belong.
• 까미: I keep checking the news because I’m worried. Come back soon and have something delicious.
• 앵두나무: Don’t kill it, please save its life.
• 딩글이: Hope you return alive.
• blueinyou: Please… don’t kill it!
• 닉네임: Since the founding of this country, cases of hunters, armed criminals, or mad stray dogs killing people are far more common than wolves. Did we shoot them all on the spot? If it’s about “prevention,” who should we logically shoot first?
• 기하와벡터: Whether you get caught or not, I hope you live out your full life. Wolfie, never attack a human, or they’ll euthanize you.
• 한마음: Come back alive, wolf. It’s not your fault; it’s the humans’ fault. The authorities must capture it alive. O-World, can’t you manage things properly? If you’re going to use animals for money, at least keep them safe. If this wolf is shot, I will curse you forever.
• 기하와벡터: Get rid of all zoos and aquariums. Please.
• 대박: It’s just a baby, please don’t shoot it.
• 우리밍키미남이달봉이키빈이: Don’t kill it. Please help it return to the zoo safely.
• owl: Release the female too so they can meet and go to the mountains together.
• tomipapa: If zoos didn’t exist, this wouldn’t happen. Only conservation centers should exist, not commercial zoos. Tame wolves don’t attack humans unless provoked. If you make excuses and kill it again, it’s the end for O-World. The world has changed.
• 김동일: The whole nation is waiting for its safe return. You must not shoot it like that cougar incident last time. If you do, you’ll face national outrage. Everyone is watching. We know it’s hard, but please capture it alive even if it costs more.
• 크레용: I feel sorry for being human.
• bluerain: We should only see animals in large parks like Everland. It’s not right for humans to keep so many in such small cages.
• 제비꽃: Don’t kill it. It’s a human mistake.
• 함박눈: Wolfie! Let’s get back alive.
• 방수: Don’t shoot! It’s a precious life, an endangered species! Wolfie, go back home!
• 오카방고: It’s no different from the stray dogs around us. Never kill it.
• 스마일www112: Don’t shoot. Lure the hungry, tired wolf with food back to its family. It left because the cage was so stifling. It’s all our fault.
• SEAVET: I remember when a leopard escaped; it was scared, hiding in a drain with its ears down, but they just shot it dead.
• 까르페디엠: Enjoy your short vacation. I wish you could live free, but it’s hard to survive in this human-redefined nature. Just hide your tracks and come back safely.
• 레몬티: Don’t shoot, just capture. It’s still just a baby…
• 한영주: Please save it!
• 밍쿠s: It would be amazing if it found its way home on its own.
• 어쩔씨구리: Run away quickly, wolf. Humans are bad.
• 피렌체빵집: It’s only about a year old, just a baby. Don’t shoot; use a tranquilizer and find it a better environment than O-World.
• ace: Humans made the mistake, so why shoot the wolf? Capture it and send it back.
• 모네: Don’t kill it.
• happiness: Hope they don’t kill it.
• 없음321: Put yourselves in the wolf’s shoes. Imagine how stressful and painful it is to be locked in a tiny cage. Don’t kill it just for “safety.” Even if it’s an animal you dislike, killing is wrong. Death is sad.
• 강송미: What did Wolfie do wrong? The staff were negligent. Don’t kill a poor living being.
• qwertyuiop: Close down O-World. This isn’t the first time.
• 슈우슈: Never kill it… it’s the fault of the people who caged it.
• 맑을린: Shooting is absolutely not allowed. Bring it back alive!
• dbsrud: Hope you return to your family safely.
• 놀래미: Let’s get rid of all zoos nationwide. We don’t need to see animals like this.
• 후레지아88: Deuk-gu (Wolfie), go back quickly. It’s hard being an outsider. You’re only happy with your own kind. O-World needs better management.
• 닉네임을등록해주세요: They messed up, but they talk about shooting? Just save it.
• KSJ: It must be hungry and thirsty. Isn’t there a mountain nearby? I’d rather it live freely in the mountains.
• 휘파람: It’s not even a fierce beast, just a 1-year-old captive wolf. Why such a fuss? It’ll take time, but it can be captured. No need to shoot.
• leejy: Just let it live in nature. Let it balance the ecosystem; there are too many water deer and wild boars anyway.
• 공정과합리: Just say you released it and leave it alone. We used to have tigers and leopards in our mountains.
• 웃으면복이와: Don’t kill it. The problem is O-World’s management.
• 윤민재: Humans lost it, but they decide to kill it based on human standards? How rude.
• 닉네임을등록해주세요: Use a tranquilizer gun! It’s a predator, but it just went out for a stroll because it missed freedom.
• Pera: Capture it and let it live somewhere wider. Who is the mayor of Daejeon anyway? We need a change.
• 두아들어뭉: If it had hurt someone, it would be in the news. If there’s no harm, please don’t shoot.
• 미리내: Don’t shoot. The wolf is innocent. We shouldn’t kill it for human mistakes.
• 스마일www112: I hope young Wolfie lives. How much more will humans sin? It’s our fault it escaped out of frustration.
• 수국왕자: Please don’t kill it.
• 도쏠도쏠: Don’t shoot! Humans make the mistake, then kill the animal!
• 제비꽃: Make zoo permits much stricter so they can’t mistreat animals in poor conditions.
• 짬뽕라면: The title mentions “considering shooting”—if they kill it and the negligent staff get off easy, I won’t stand for it as a citizen of Daejeon. It was raised by humans and isn’t aggressive. Capture it!
• Blue: Hope they capture it alive.
• 앞만보고달려간다: Baby… let’s go back quickly. You can’t die.
• 최인석: Is it going through puberty?
• Johanna: Don’t kill it!
• chunyuheqiudongnlfu: I searched for news as soon as I woke up. It must be scared and hungry… please come back alive.
• 송골매: Just let it live in nature.
• 봉구엄마: Don’t shoot it like that cougar. It’s just an innocent animal.
• TAN: Shooting? If you solve human errors with bullets, you’re not human. Bring it back alive.
• 다이아나: So pitiful… please don’t kill it.
• hjlee: You can’t kill it.
• 김정훈: Wolves don’t usually hurt people; they avoid them because they’re scared. I hope they don’t shoot.
• 범아시아: An escaped animal due to negligence is a threat to humans. Wolfie, enjoy your freedom but don’t hurt humans and just go home.
• 아델라이드: My first time commenting. Seeing so many people caring for the wolf shows the world is still warm. Please capture it safely.
• 닉네임을등록해주세요: Don’t worry about citizen safety; just capture it. It just wanted freedom.
• 보리뽀리: Please, just don’t shoot…
• 고구마캐자: Save the wolf. It’s so sad.
• 고구마캐자: A lonely, poor wolf. It must be hungry. I hope no one mistakes it for a dog; they are actually quite scary big.
• kim: Why the innocent wolf? Just use a Jindo dog to track it.
• 가시고기: It lost its wild instincts in the cage, so it’s probably less aggressive than a stray dog. Don’t overreact and just capture it safely.
• AGVpro: Just get rid of zoos.
• 소중: Please save it. Wolfie, run far away into the deep mountains.
• 가시고기: It just acted on instinct. At 2 years old, it’s very curious. Never shoot. Drop some food where it might be and rescue it safely.
• 나혼자: This is bad. Watch your neighborhood dogs. Rescue the wolf safely.
• 솔향: Hope you return alive.
• 3867411: A wolf has appeared!
• 생각하는대로이루어진다: Don’t shoot, please capture it. You’re hungry, let’s go home.
• eogksalsrnr: Capture it alive. O-World’s management is so sloppy. They need a full safety audit.
• 닉네임을등록해주세요: A romantic meeting with a female wolf… so touching.
• 미라주: How did they manage it for it to escape? Don’t hurt it. I saw a movie about Mongolian wolves being hunted… it was so sad. One wolf ran until it collapsed just to avoid being caught. Why are we so desperate to kill them? Capture it safely.
• 닉네임을등록해주세요: Stop talking nonsense and go catch the wolf. Your IQs are similar, so it should be easy.
• WIND: Capture it alive. Don’t kill it like other escaped animals.
• 최미영: Let’s go home.
• 정신차려: Go to Mongolia, wolf!
• 온새미로: Some people want to restore wolves to Korean mountains like the bears. Those people should go catch this one. Just don’t get bitten.
• 아까징끼: Wolf, run far away along the Baekdudaegan mountains. Live freely in the forest.
• 언제나그랬듯이: It’s actually kind of cute. Hope it lives freely in nature.
• 오스텔라: It won’t be easy, but please capture it alive. I wish zoos would disappear.
• 스텔: How scared it must be… please don’t shoot.
• 고령독수리식당: Let’s use a net. Are there any cowboys?
• 닉네임: What kind of name is “Wolfie” (Nuk-gu)? Is your son’s name Sam-gu? Why not cool names like Nuk-BTS or Nuk-Psy?
• 남덕현: Don’t worry about citizen safety. It won’t cause harm. Just let it live in nature.
• 남덕현: Just leave it alone. Does the fire department have nothing to do? Restore the wolf population in the mountains.
• 윰?윰?: Don’t hit the cute wolfie.
• 저대삼: You people can’t distinguish between beasts and humans.
• 핑크소라: Get rid of cramped zoos. If you must, make a safari. I’m against zoos!
• 핑크소라: Worried about innocent Wolfie… it’ll be shot if an accident happens.
• 우수한인재: Enjoy nature to the fullest and return safely… please don’t die.
• 에코모카: The wolf is innocent.
• 쳐키: If it breeds with stray dogs, the population will explode. You can’t go to the mountains anymore. Who manages things like this?
• camsun: Don’t kill it, I wish it could run far away, but wolves are social animals so it might come back.
• dlag: I saw a report that it was caught yesterday—is this a different wolf? Or was that fake news?
• 신동근: Not a single line about punishing the zoo for the negligence? Does a tiger have to escape for it to matter?
• 신복부하: If it was raised by humans, it’s probably like a dog.
• 뽀통령만세: Let’s get back safely.
• 맑을린: Fence off a whole mountain and let it live there.
• 하나비: Moon Jae-in ordered the cougar to be shot. He’s a devil.
• 대확행: Run far away from humans. Never get caught.
• 손수건: People wanting to close zoos should first stop keeping pets. Ban dogs and cats first. I’m tired of this “PC” talk.
• 따르릉112: Go to the mountains! You can survive there… have babies with a stray dog.
• 수달: The wolf’s safety is important, but residents’ safety comes first! Find it quickly!
• 참을인인인: Stray dogs are scary enough in the mountains. If someone gets hurt, then what? Catch it fast.
• 태지: This case is interesting, but I wish they’d share real-time updates for safety via emergency texts.
• 도서관: Only sick or animals that can’t survive in the wild should be kept in zoos for care.
• 바다: Follow the scent of flowers back home. It might be stifling, but the world is more dangerous. Please don’t use force or shoot.
• 하루: Use a “honey trap” (female wolf). Capture it safely before a big accident happens and you’re “forced” to shoot. Where are the animal rights groups?
• 인터스텔라: Must save it.
• 파란볼펜: Using a female to lure it? I guess the “honey trap” still works.
• 라라: The zoo should be closed. This is the second time; trust is gone.
• 김효식: Wolves are smart; I believe it will find its way back.
• 장제영: Can’t they lure it with the keeper’s voice and some meat?
• 플러스: It could be dangerous if it meets a pet.
• 스카이폴: Believing in homing instincts and waiting? Using a female wolf? Is this for real? This is a “parade of fools.”
• 꽃은심어무엇해: It must be hungry. Throw it [Specific Politician/Person Name].
• BB: Come back after you’ve played enough. I’ll take you for walks.
• 닉네임을등록해주세요: Now if they release a female, there will be two… if they wait for the homing instinct, they might come back with ten pups. How relaxed of them.
• 애플옆키위: It might run into a Bone Soup restaurant.
• 블랙맘마: Who takes responsibility if someone gets hurt? Catch it.
• 그렇지: Never die. Go to Mt. Gyeryong. If you’re hungry, you can eat the “2-voters” (political slang). Just eat them; they aren’t human anyway.
• 파라곤: What kind of nonsense is this? Waiting for homing instincts? Releasing a female? Are you serious?
• 스데반: It’ll adapt to the wild in a few days. Catch it now.
• 에필로그: Everyone gets so sentimental and pretends to be a “good person” at times like this.
• 푸르른날: Deploy a massive team and shoot it immediately!
• JOYongJin: Don’t regret it after someone dies. Shoot it. It can’t be helped.