Online Voting Held for 12 Days from the 22nd of Last Month, Results Announced on the 7th
▲Small Dog 'Kkung-i' ▲Medium Dog 'Beta' ▲Large Dog 'Seong-u' Selected
Expectations for Active Promotion Amid Stories of Abandonment and Surrender...
First Official Event: Award Cards Presented at the 'Romantic Song Festival' Ceremony on the 8th
“It seemed like he was saying, ‘Noona, please take me with you. Let me see the world.’
That’s when I decided to temporarily foster Seongwoo.”
Yongsan-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Park Hee-young) has finalized the selection of three promotional dogs for Yongsan-gu and announced the results on the 7th.
The chosen ones are ▲small dog ‘Kkung-i’ ▲medium dog ‘Beta’ ▲large dog ‘Seongwoo’.
A total of 107 dogs applied for the promotional dog recruitment in March. After the first and second preliminary rounds, nine dogs advanced to the finals.
The district selected the final three through a third round of online voting. A total of 4,297 people participated over 12 days starting from the 22nd of last month, drawing significant attention.
The small dog winner, ‘Kkung-i,’ is a Pomeranian and a veteran model and actor dog.
One person shared, “I first met Kkung-i, who was terrified and suffering from skin disease and flu, at a dog cafe where abandoned dogs gather,” and added, “When Kkung-i, who was afraid of people, approached me first, I decided to adopt him.”
Additionally, the person expressed, “As a selected promotional dog of Yongsan-gu, I will work hard to show how beautiful Yongsan is.”
The medium dog winner, ‘Beta,’ is a Shetland Sheepdog who was adopted during the online voting period as a dog influencer.
The trainer who was temporarily fostering Beta applied to be a Yongsan-gu promotional dog to help find Beta a family.
Jegal Cheong, who adopted Beta, said, “Although Beta has experienced the pain of being abandoned once, he loves people and has an attractive bright smile,” and added, “I will work hard to promote Yongsan-gu so that it becomes a great place for dog lovers and their pets to live together.”
She also shared her thoughts, saying, “Since Beta met our family and was selected as the first Yongsan-gu dog influencer, this year will be truly meaningful.”
The large dog winner, ‘Seongwoo,’ is a Sapsal mix dog who was a stray rescued by an animal protection organization.
Guardian Yoo Ye-kyung first met Seongwoo while volunteering at the shelter. After playtime in the yard ended and Seongwoo was returning to the kennel, he kept making eye contact, as if saying, “Noona, please take me with you. Let me see the world.”
Since there were no adoption inquiries during the temporary foster period, Yoo decided to adopt him herself. She said, “I want to let many people know that adopting a stray dog is truly a happy and rewarding experience for both the pet and the guardian,” and added, “I want to participate not only in introducing Yongsan but also in neighborhood patrol activities.”
Although all the selected promotional dogs have experienced the pain of abandonment and being strays, they are expected to become bright and charming dog influencers.
The Yongsan-gu dog influencers made their first official appearance as surprise helpers at the Yongsan-gu ‘Romantic Song Festival’ awards ceremony held on the 8th. The residents gathered there responded enthusiastically to the adorable dog influencers.
Over the next year, they will participate in various district promotional media (newsletters, promotional videos) and shoot vlogs for the Yongsan-gu YouTube channel, continuing their activities as official promotional models for the district.
Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Congratulations on being selected as Yongsan-gu promotional dogs after overcoming fierce competition with great interest,” and added, “I expect our promotional dogs to approach residents warmly and actively participate in various district promotional activities.”
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