Designation of Pet Day and Adoption of 639 Abandoned Animals... Gyeonggi-do's Pet Welfare Policy

Gyeonggi-do Promotes Responsible Pet Culture... Supports Medical and Care Expenses to Eliminate Welfare Blind Spots
Supports Implantable Animal Registration Costs for About 20,000 Pets... Strengthens Abandonment Prevention System
From Startup to Employment... Lays Foundation for Pet Industry Growth
Startup Grants Up to 20 Million Won... Fosters 20 Pet-related Startups

Gyeonggi Province designated ‘Pet Day’ to foster a healthy pet culture and held the ‘2024 Gyeonggi-do PETSTA,’ a festival where both pet owners and non-pet owners can participate. Banryeomaru, established by the province, protected a total of 922 abandoned and rescued animals over the past year, contributing to the promotion of adoption culture by finding new homes for 639 of them. In September, through a public contest, Dongducheon City was selected as the final candidate site for the Northern Gyeonggi pet theme park. This article reviews Gyeonggi Province’s pet policies throughout the year, including abandoned animal protection, adoption culture promotion, and pet industry revitalization.

◇ Protection of Abandoned Animals and Promotion of Adoption Culture

Pet Adoption Week (Banryeomaru Partners). Provided by Gyeonggi Province

Banryeomaru is the largest complex pet culture space in Korea, created by Gyeonggi Province to protect pets and foster pet culture. Over the past year, out of 922 abandoned animals protected at Banryeomaru, 639 (as of the end of November) found new families. Banryeomaru operates by selecting abandoned animals from city and county animal shelters that are at risk of euthanasia after the public notice period ends, providing basic treatments such as health checkups and neutering surgeries, socialization training, and then placing them for adoption in general households.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province actively supports cat adoption by opening a cat adoption center. The ‘Banryeomaru Hwaseong Cat Adoption Center’ is the first cat-specialized adoption center established by a metropolitan local government nationwide. Since its opening in May, a total of 78 cats have found new homes over six months until the end of November.

To promote abandoned animal adoption, Gyeonggi Province introduced the nation’s first joint ‘Pet Adoption Week’ between the province and city/county governments. Under the slogan ‘Buy Bye, Don’t Buy, Adopt!’ various online and offline adoption campaigns with different themes are held quarterly, encouraging active participation from residents.

◇ Establishment of a Pet Care System Free from Abuse and Abandonment

Gyeonggi-do Pet Star. Provided by Gyeonggi-do

The province supports ‘animal registration fees’ and the operation of ‘Crisis Animal Counseling Centers’ to minimize abandoned and lost animals, and supports the establishment of the ‘Gyeonggi Veterinary Forensic Medicine Center’ and the operation of ‘Honorary Animal Protection Officers’ to prevent animal abuse.

‘Animal registration’ refers to a system that registers pet information to prevent abandonment and raise owners’ sense of responsibility. From August to October, the province operated a voluntary animal registration reporting period and intensive crackdown period to promote animal registration, supporting registration fees for about 20,000 animals as of the end of November.

Crisis Animal Counseling Centers are located in nine cities/counties including Yangpyeong, Gapyeong, Yongin, Pyeongtaek, Siheung, Gwangju, Yangju, Guri, and Dongducheon. The province supports 15 dedicated personnel who provide detailed explanations of the procedures for taking in animals surrendered by owners and guide problem behavior training centers to prevent cases where owners give up pets due to behavioral issues. This year, 286 intake consultations were conducted at the centers, with 119 on-site investigations leading to 106 animals being taken in by the respective city/county authorities.

Furthermore, the province is building the operational foundation (facilities, equipment, personnel) for the ‘Gyeonggi Veterinary Forensic Medicine Center’ to assess animal abuse cases and has appointed 219 ‘Honorary Animal Protection Officers’ to monitor animal abuse and promote animal protection and guidance. These efforts aim to strengthen prevention of animal abuse and support for animal rescue and protection.

◇ Expansion of Pet-Friendly Spaces and Culture

National Companion Dog Sports Competition. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

Following the opening of Banryeomaru Yeoju in the eastern region last November, the province officially opened Banryeomaru Hwaseong in the western region this May. Including the Southern region’s Osan City pet theme park, established with partial provincial funding in 2021, and Dongducheon City, selected as the northern region site through a public contest in September this year, a total of four pet theme parks will be established across the regions.

Gyeonggi Province designates the Saturday of the week containing Children’s Day in May as ‘Gyeonggi-do Pet Day’ annually. On May 4th, a large-scale pet festival, ‘Gyeonggi-do PETSTA,’ was held to proclaim Gyeonggi-do Pet Day. Additionally, the ‘National Companion Dog Sports Competition’ held in November introduced a rescue animal adoption category for the first time in Korea and offered various events by dog weight class to promote pet culture.

The province is also strengthening support for pets in vulnerable care households through the ‘Support Project for Medical Services for Pets in Vulnerable Care Households.’ Targeting socially disadvantaged groups with less than 120% of median income (low-income families, single-parent and multicultural families, etc.), medical expenses, care consignment fees, and funeral services were provided for 732 pets.

For families adopting abandoned animals, the province operates the ‘Adopted Animal Peace of Mind Insurance Unlimited Care Support’ project, which supports medical expenses for the first year after adoption. This guarantees veterinary treatment costs after adoption and helps adopters reduce the burden of health issues related to their pets.

◇ Fostering the Pet Industry Led by Gyeonggi Province

Pet Employment Fair. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

This year, policies to foster the pet industry included support for related industries such as ‘startup discovery’ and ‘promising small and medium enterprises development,’ as well as expert training programs like ‘operation of vocational training courses’ and ‘field activity support for prospective entrepreneurs and local students.’

In March, the province recruited prospective and early-stage entrepreneurs in the pet industry sector and selected 20 companies with growth potential in premium feed, health and care products, grooming and fashion items, etc., providing up to 20 million KRW in commercialization funds for prototype production and intellectual property acquisition. Additionally, 67 small and medium enterprises selling excellent pet products received support for prototype and design development, corporate promotion and exhibition participation for market expansion, online marketing, and consulting costs.

A total of 1,121 people participated in ‘Pet Groomer and Trainer Training and Pet-Mediated Activity Education’ for pet expert development. On October 4th, the ‘2024 Korea Pet Employment Fair’ attracted about 1,000 visitors, including 26 pet-related departments nationwide and 32 companies. At the event, 15 participating companies conducted on-site job interviews, with 38 job seekers attending. Various programs such as special lectures on the outlook of the pet industry, recruitment requirement briefings, corporate promotion booths, and employment coaching rooms were held.

Lee Kang-young, Director of the Livestock Animal Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, said, “Since Gyeonggi Province accounts for 30% of the nation’s registered pet population, it plays a leading role in pet culture. We will continue to promote policies steadily to achieve the goal of a Gyeonggi Province where people and animals are happy.”