The Rapidly Evolving Dog Culture in Korea

These days, you see dogs everywhere. Parks, streets, even shopping malls – it's common to see people out and about with their canine companions. This suggests that not only has the number of people keeping dogs as pets increased, but also that the environment has become more dog-friendly. Today, we're going to explore how dog culture in Korea has evolved and developed.

Firstly, the number of dog owners in Korea is rapidly increasing. It rose from 5.2 million in 2015 to 8.5 million in 2022, a 64% increase. This figure accounts for 17% of all households in Korea. That means 1 in 5 people have a dog… which is a huge number! The reasons behind this rise are said to be the increase in single-person households and improvements in animal welfare.

As the number of dog owners increases, related industries, including food, goods, and services, are also growing. The market size, which was 6 trillion won in 2022, is expected to reach 10 trillion won by 2025. Since people treat their dogs like family, they want to feed them good food and dress them in nice clothes. Next time, we'll delve into the world of dog products.

Have you ever heard the phrase, 'Adopt, don't shop'? While adopting dogs wasn't as common in the past, it's become a trend in recent years. In 2022, the dog adoption rate in Korea was about 10%, the highest among OECD countries. Celebrities have actively participated in stray dog adoption campaigns, and this increased awareness of dogs seems to have impacted adoption rates.

While Korea's dog culture is progressing, there are still issues that need improvement. The first is the rate of stray dogs. A high adoption rate also means a lot of stray dogs, right? Korea still has a high rate of stray dogs. The second issue is animal abuse. We still hear about animal abuse cases unfortunately. It seems necessary to strengthen laws to prevent animal cruelty.

Today, we explored Korea's dog culture. What did you think? Hoping that all animals can be loved and live harmoniously with humans, we'll explore dog-friendly restaurants and cafes next time. Thank you for reading:)