If your love for Fido knows no
bounds, you’re not alone. As more
people in Korea own pets, the industry has recorded exponential growth.
Even the World Future Society has
labeled the pet industry as one of the ten
promising industries of the future. Even
in Korea, the pet industry has been showing double digit growth and it’s become a
common sight to see Korean families
spending time with their dogs.
Along with major companies like
Samsung, Lotte and Pulmuone, local governments in Korea are also responding to
the increasing demand. Numerous governments announced their plans to establish a pet-friendly environment within
their districts. The Yeoju Pet Theme Park
and Gyeongsang-do Pet Culture Center
are the perfect examples of the newly
forming industry clusters.
Gyeonggi-do province announced its
plans for constructing a pet theme park in
the city of Yeoju, east of Seoul. The
establishment will cover 165,200 square
meters and when finished, it will be the
country’s first and largest pet culture
complex. The province hopes the complex will expand the interest and knowledge of pets, create jobs and rejuvenate
the local economy. A bridge connecting Yeoju Premium
Outlet and the theme
park will be constructed to attract more
visitors.
The resources required for the Yeoju
Pet Theme Park will be provided by both
the public and private sector. The local
government will provide KRW 35.8 billion (USD 31.65 million) while private
corporates will be investing a total of
KRW 35 billion. The two sectors will be
responsible for developing different areas
of the complex.
The construction of Area 1, which is to
be completed next July, is led by
Gyeonggi-do. It will consist of an animal
shelter to help more dogs get adopted. To
prevent the abandonment of pets, an educational facility will be established to
educate teenagers and potential pet owners. And to increase the professional
workforce in the industry, Area 1 will
invest in fostering pet experts.
Areas 2 and 3 will be developed by five
companies including the hallyu giant, SM
Entertainment. If Area 1 focused more on
education, Areas 2 and 3 will focus on
providing an opportunity for people and
pets to connect with each other and to be
able to rest. A “healing garden”, a pet
park and a dog hotel will be built to
accommodate visitors and their pets.
There will also be a shopping mall selling
pet-related products.
In Gyeongsang-do, located at the southern part of the Korean peninsula, the local
government plans to establish a hub for
the pet industry. The construction of a pet
culture center is to begin later this year in
Uiseong County which will cover 40,000
square meters of land. The county currently has various facilities, making it the
most suitable place to establish a pet center. Already, there are sites where about
60 species of parrots are bred and a fish
industrialization center responsible for the
preservation and promotion of pet fish.
By introducing a culture center consisting
of pet products and playgrounds, the local
government is hoping to collaborate with
already existing facilities to spur development.
Another pet culture center will be built
in the industrial powerhouse of Korea,
Ulsan. Scheduled to start construction
next year, this center will have stores,
playgrounds, cafes and educational content related to pets. It is the city’s
response to the increasing demand for
petrelated facilities and also an attempt to
provide a venue where pets and their
owners can relax.
