Mayor Kang Su-hyun: "Doing Our Best to Leap Forward as a Pet-Friendly City, Yangju"

Attendance at 'Yangju-si Companion Animal Culture Festival'
Over 3,000 Citizens in a Bustle

Yang Soo-hyun, Mayor of Yangju City, is delivering a greeting at the '2024 Yangju City Companion Animal Culture Festival' held on the 13th at 'Seondol Neighborhood Park.'

"Gyeonggi Yangju City will do its best to become a ‘Pet-Friendly City.’"

On the 13th, Yangju Mayor Kang Su-hyun attended the ‘2024 Yangju Pet Culture Festival’ held at ‘Seondol Neighborhood Park’ and said, “I sincerely thank everyone who participated in the ‘2024 Yangju Pet Culture Festival,’ which was prepared to create a harmonious coexistence between pet owners and non-pet owners and to foster a pet-friendly culture.”

This event, hosted by the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Seojeong University, was bustling with the attendance of Mayor Kang Su-hyun, National Assembly member Jeong Seong-ho, City Council member Choi Su-yeon, Seojeong University Vice President Hyun Young-ryeol, Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation Director Jo Eun-mi, HIVE Center Director Yeom Il-yeol, and about 3,000 citizens.

The event featured experience booths for pets including ▲free grooming ▲behavior correction ▲free medical checkups ▲CPR training ▲free animal registration, as well as various side events that pet owners and non-pet owners could enjoy together, such as a pet knowledge O/X quiz and a pet sports day.

Additionally, to ensure the safety of many citizens attending the event in the cool autumn weather, close cooperation was established with the city health center, the Emergency Rescue Department of Seojeong University, and students from ‘My Love Pet,’ a union club of pet-related schools in northern Gyeonggi. They proactively informed attendees about safety management such as requiring pets to wear leashes and muzzles inside the venue, demonstrating a model local pet festival.

Under the 8th term of the current administration, Yangju City is rapidly pursuing changes by laying the foundation to become a ‘Pet-Friendly City’ where people and animals live together harmoniously, which is one of its campaign promises.

The domestic pet-owning population already exceeded 15 million last year, and with Yangju City approaching a population of 300,000, the number of pet-owning households is naturally increasing, leading to growing demand for related welfare projects. Accordingly, the city is developing various ‘pet-friendly content.’

Furthermore, following the enactment of the ‘Yangju City Ordinance on Support for Medical Expenses and Other Burdens for Socially Vulnerable Pets’ in October last year, the city amended the ‘Yangju City Ordinance on Animal Protection and the Promotion of Pet Culture’ last April, steadily advancing toward establishing a proper pet culture.

Mayor Kang Su-hyun said, “I deeply thank the Seojeong University officials who organized the event,” and added, “I hope that the joyful memories of the citizens who attended today will serve as a foundation for our Yangju City to move forward as a ‘Pet-Friendly City,’ and we will continue to develop various projects related to pets in multiple ways.”