Ulsan Office of Education Releases YouTube Video on Coexistence with Stray Cats

Ulsan Office of Education Coexistence Space 'Myohan Shelter'.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Ulsan Office of Education has released a video titled “Coexistence, Living Together with Stray Cats” on the education office’s YouTube channel.

This video was specially produced around September 9, Korean Cat Day, which was created in 2009 with the purpose of “thinking about the value of life and coexistence even if only for one day a year,” marking its 14th anniversary this year. It is the second animal love practice promotional video made following last year’s.

‘Myohan Shelter,’ located on the education office’s walking trail ‘Modurang-gil,’ is a well-known space where staff members, elementary students on their way to and from school, and nearby apartment residents frequently visit and interact with stray cats. In particular, parents in the neighborhood who cannot keep pets due to personal circumstances sometimes visit with their children to see the stray cats.

The video calmly shows the daily lives of three cats settled at ‘Myohan Shelter’ accompanied by warm music, while also including educational content on how to properly feed stray cats.

The message conveyed is that after putting cat-exclusive food (not human food) into a bowl, one must clean up thoroughly so that stray cats are not disliked.

‘Cheongnyangi,’ who starred in last year’s video, crossed the rainbow bridge this March, and in June, ‘Banbani,’ a cat with half white and half black fur that used to visit quietly every night, newly settled in. Still, three stray cats are cared for by the Ulsan Office of Education’s animal love practice club ‘Yaong Yaong.’

Fifth-grade students from Ulsan Elementary School, who always see the cats before going to school, also briefly appear in the video. During the last semester, they produced a video as a project result related to animal rights, and the students visit the Ulsan Office of Education as a space to practice what they learn at school, such as consideration, coexistence, and animal rights.

After the video was released, positive and supportive comments followed, such as “I was surprised by the warm perspective and practice,” “I will cherish and share this with my classmates,” and “While parking at the education office, I happened to see the cats and the staff kindly explaining and taking care of them. It felt so good that a space for coexistence with animals was created in Ulsan, and my brief visit to the education office was a great healing experience.”

A member of the ‘Yaong Yaong’ club said, “When I am with the cats during morning and lunch breaks, students visiting Myohan Shelter or strangers easily start conversations,” adding, “The rigid image of public institutions and psychological distance toward public officials are reduced, and it feels rewarding to see the values of communication, empathy, and consideration that the education office aims for being realized.”