S. Korea recruits 1,000 pet owners and non-owners to shape animal welfare policy

South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is moving to incorporate the views of both pet owners and non-owners directly into animal welfare policy.

The ministry said Thursday it would hold its first in-person meeting in Seoul with the Animal Welfare Policy Participation Panel to identify animal welfare policies that resonate with the public.

The panel comprises 1,000 members — 500 pet owners and 500 non-owners. The ministry has operated the panel since April, conducting surveys on each stage of pet ownership and gathering opinions on key issues.

At Thursday's meeting, the ministry will share the results of a policy demand survey on adoption practices conducted from April 24 to May 8, and discuss directions for improving the system. The session will examine problems in the adoption process and areas for improvement from the perspectives of both pet owners and non-owners.

Alongside this, the ministry will gather opinions on the second Animal Protection Day commemorative event, efforts to boost the animal registration system, and support policies for retired service animals. Panel members will also propose inconveniences they have experienced in raising pets and suggest policy improvements through open discussion.

The government said that as the pet-owning population grows and policy demands diversify, it intends to reflect public opinion from the earliest stages of policy development.

Kim Jeong-uk, director general for agro-industry innovation policy at the ministry, said that as the national agenda item of building "a society where people and animals thrive together" enters its second year, policies that people can actually feel are crucial. "We will reduce the cost of social consensus and enhance policy credibility by incorporating diverse opinions from the policy-planning stage," he said.