Reducing Childcare and Medical Expenses Burden Including Support for Pet Medical Insurance
Establishment of Animal Public Medical System and Unique Pet Welfare Town
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Kang Ki-jung, the Democratic Party of Korea's preliminary candidate for mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, stated on the 14th, "I will create a city where people and animals coexist, and where both citizens and companion animals are happy."
Candidate Kang emphasized, "Gwangju is the only city among the five major metropolitan cities without animal welfare support facilities," and added, "We will build infrastructure that guarantees animal rights and realizes welfare to create a city where people and companion animals coexist."
To this end, Candidate Kang proposed five major action tasks: ▲ alleviating the burden of companion animal care costs ▲ introducing an animal public medical system ▲ establishing urban hub-type companion animal welfare towns ▲ creating an environment for coexistence between people and animals ▲ integrated management of animal welfare policies.
First, the burden of care costs for households raising companion animals will be reduced.
Support will be provided for subscribing to companion animal medical insurance, and in consultation with related organizations such as the Veterinary Association and the Animal Hospital Association, a 'standardization system for animal hospital treatment items' will be implemented.
Additionally, the 'animal public medical system' will be introduced for the first time nationwide, and the management system in the field of animal public health will be strengthened to prevent zoonotic diseases such as rabies and parasitic infections.
A 'Gwangju Public Animal Hospital' will be established, and public veterinarians for each autonomous district, as well as specialized health personnel for exhibition and wild animals, will be expanded.
Next, animal welfare facilities will be established in urban hubs with good citizen accessibility in each autonomous district to create spaces where people and animals can coexist harmoniously.
While companion animal complex community facilities are being established nationwide in places such as Gyeonggi-do, Daejeon, Ulsan, Gangwon-do, and Gyeongbuk, Gwangju currently lacks companion animal welfare facilities except for shelters for abandoned animals.
Accordingly, Candidate Kang plans to establish specialized animal welfare facilities including ▲ Animal Welfare Education and Culture Center ▲ Companion Animal Industry Promotion Center ▲ Abandoned Animal Adoption Support Center ▲ Animal Shelter and Public Animal Hospital ▲ Memorial Park.
Along with this, Candidate Kang will work with the Office of Education to make animal welfare education mandatory, expand and strengthen management systems for feeding stations for stray cats in each autonomous district, create large companion dog playgrounds, and enhance support for companion animal-themed facilities such as dog and cat cafes and pensions.
Currently, animal-related tasks scattered across companion, wild, farm, and exhibition animals will be integrated and operated through the establishment of a dedicated department and personnel reinforcement, thereby increasing the effectiveness of animal welfare policies.
Candidate Kang Ki-jung said, "Gwangju has about 90,000 households raising a total of 120,000 companion animals such as dogs and cats, but 3,000 companion animals are abandoned every year," and added, "I will create a city where the rights of companion animal owners and animal welfare, which have not been enjoyed due to the absence of 20 types of policies in Gwangju, are realized."
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