Momentum for Establishing a Proper Companion Animal Culture
Will the Enactment of Local Ordinances Accelerate Progress?
As calls for the establishment of a mature companion animal culture grow louder day by day, the "Jinju City Companion Animal Protection and Companion Culture Promotion Ordinance" is being enacted to improve the living environment for both pet owners and non-pet owners alongside animal welfare.
This ordinance stipulates that Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province, will take responsibility for fostering a companion animal culture based on the duties of pet owners, promoting mutual understanding and respect. Once the ordinance is enacted, the city will expand convenience facilities such as waste bag dispensers and drinking fountains in parks, support centers including companion animal education institutions, and promote and guide the matters that pet owners must comply with.
Park Mi-kyung, a Jinju City council member who proposed the ordinance, previously argued at the 2nd regular meeting last year that strong policy initiatives by Jinju City are necessary to enhance companion animal welfare and establish a mature companion animal culture. She demanded ▲expansion of waste bag dispensers in parks and walking trails ▲imposition of fines for failure to clean up excrement ▲restriction of participation in companion animal-related support projects for owners who repeatedly violate their obligations.
Councilor Park emphasized, “To live in a clean and safe public environment where all citizens coexist harmoniously with companion animals, strengthening the responsibility awareness of pet owners must come first,” adding, “I hope the city will supervise more strictly until a proper culture is established.”
Over the past several years, as the companion animal population nationwide has rapidly increased, issues such as uncollected excrement, failure to wear leashes, and dog bite incidents have continuously been raised. According to the "2023 National Awareness Survey on Animal Welfare" announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs last year, the domestic companion animal ownership rate is estimated at 28.2% of the total population, meaning about one in three people in the country owns a companion animal.
The number of registered companion animals in Jinju City is approximately 216,000 as of the end of 2024, and more than 300 complaints annually are received regarding excrement issues and safety accidents in public places related to companion animals.
In this regard, Jinju City announced that it will create a city where citizens and companion animals can be happy together by improving infrastructure such as building convenience facilities for companion animals and operating education and publicity programs as soon as the budget is secured.
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