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“We will create a pet industry city like Busan that takes advantage of Busan’s characteristics!”
On the 4th, Busan City announced the first basic plan to foster the pet industry with the goal of becoming a ‘pet-friendly city’ where people and animals are happy. Kang Gyeong-man, team leader of the Busan City Biohealth R&D and Pet Industry Team in charge of this project, drew a blueprint to prepare ‘in a Busan-like manner’ by taking advantage of the characteristics of the region.
This plan, which is the first start of a comprehensive plan established every five years in accordance with the city’s ‘Pet-related Industry Development and Support Ordinance’, will invest a budget of 140 billion won over five years from next year to 2029 to develop pet-related industry infrastructure ( The main content is to build infrastructure, support industry development, and spread the right pet culture.
Specifically, the plan is to expand related industrial infrastructure from the current 24 to 40. It included the creation of the nation’s largest pet culture park, a complex center where people can experience pet culture and industry, and the construction of a university animal hospital. Plans to create a pet industry support center and a pet-themed street are also notable.
There is also a plan to encourage growth by supporting pet-related businesses that take advantage of regional characteristics through ‘customized support by field’. In addition, we plan to lay the foundation for industry development by increasing the number of pet culture promotion programs, which are currently only two, to 10. We seek to establish a proper companion culture by developing pet-friendly tourism products, holding pet culture festivals, and industry fairs and forums.
Until this project was announced, the city’s pet industry team had been preparing by forming a pet industry council with officials from related companies such as local pet food, pet tech, and pet fashion, veterinarians, and officials from related departments at local universities. Team Leader Kang said, “The main keywords that came out while sharing opinions with experts through the council meeting were ‘high value-added industry,’ ‘long-term perspective,’ and ‘regional specialization.’” He added, “In particular, pet food using various marine products from Busan and tourist city. “I was impressed by the ability to take advantage of my strengths as a pet traveler and traveling with her.”
According to city data, as of 2022, the pet population in Busan is 470,000 households, or 30% of all households. Team Leader Kang said, “Citizens’ interest in this project is high. “I also have new feelings from the perspective of a pet owner who takes care of a dog,” he said. “This is just the beginning.” “We will benchmark not only advanced countries in the pet industry but also leading local governments in Korea, while also remembering to incorporate the characteristics of our region,” he said.
Busan Mayor Park Hyeong-jun also said, “The scale of related industries is expanding due to the recent increase in households raising companion animals and the spread of animal rights protection, and they are becoming more advanced through convergence with artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communication technology (ICT) technologies.” “We will lead the market as a pet-friendly city by growing culture and culture in a balanced way,” he said.
Reporter Park Jae-rim jamie@segye.com
Source: www.segyebiz.com
