Seoul Zoo renews AZA accreditation, extending certification by four years

Seoul Grand Park announced Tuesday that Seoul Zoo has passed its AZA reaccreditation review, extending its international certification by four years.

AZA accreditation is an international certification regime administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that comprehensively evaluates animal welfare, facility and safety management, and overall zoo operations. Seoul Zoo became the first zoo in Asia to receive AZA accreditation in September 2019. Outside of zoos, only two aquariums in Asia — Hong Kong Ocean Park and the Singapore Aquarium — currently hold AZA accreditation.

After receiving a conditional one-year accreditation during its 2025 AZA review, Seoul Zoo mobilized all departments to address the key improvements identified by inspectors. The zoo upgraded animal enclosure environments and strengthened its animal welfare management system. It also enhanced elephant training programs and safety protocols. Staff tended gardens throughout the zoo and created new green spaces as part of a citizen-participation environmental improvement initiative. As a result, an AZA hearing held Sunday in Portland, Oregon, formally confirmed the four-year extension. The AZA hearing is the final stage of the accreditation process, which involves months of document review and on-site inspections by experts. At the hearing, the panel verifies that deficiencies flagged during the site visit have been addressed before issuing a final accreditation decision.

A Seoul Zoo official said the four-year renewal "goes beyond simply maintaining international accreditation — it is significant because, even under the circumstances of a conditional accreditation, we again demonstrated our international-level capabilities in animal welfare, facilities, safety and operations through the collaboration of all staff and improvement efforts grounded in the field."

Building on its AZA accreditation as a global standard, Seoul Zoo plans to strengthen cooperation with more than 240 accredited institutions across 12 countries and expand its global network for endangered species conservation, genetic management and animal exchange. The zoo also intends to promote the sharing of expertise and technology in welfare, husbandry, veterinary care and research to raise its international standing, and to develop Seoul Zoo into a leading species conservation hub and international zoo center for Asia.

Seoul Grand Park Director Park Jin-soon said the four-year renewal "is the result of all staff working together to implement, one by one, the improvements required after the 2025 conditional accreditation and to build an animal welfare and safety management system that meets international standards." She added that the zoo would "continue to use AZA accreditation standards as a benchmark for the ongoing development of zoo operations and further strengthen animal welfare."

Park also said the zoo would "continuously raise expertise in conservation, research, education and safety management, while creating a nature-friendly zoo built together with citizens — making Seoul Zoo a place loved by people and better for the animals."