BUSAN — Busan has become the first local government in South Korea to introduce a pet-friendly venue certification program, part of a push to develop what the city calls the "pet economy." The plan groups restaurants, lodging, grooming shops and boarding facilities into a single industry ecosystem to channel tourism and consumer spending into the local economy.
The city and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency will hold a "Pet-Friendly Partners Day" event at Illowoo in Gijang County on the 15th, awarding certificates to 10 certified businesses. The first group of certified venues includes three pet-friendly restaurants — Illowoo, Pausedog and Fruitery Forest — two hotels, Signiel Busan and Youngmoo Parad Hotel, two grooming shops, Rabu and Premium Pet Salon Soun, and three boarding facilities, Lamercio, Big Four Club and With Walwal.
Beginning with an open call in July, the city evaluated applicants against five core criteria: legal permits and licenses, sanitation and disinfection management, ability to respond to safety incidents, dedicated staffing and multilingual services. Ten companies with verified service, hygiene and safety standards were selected.
Each selected business receives a certificate and plaque issued in the name of the Busan mayor, along with support for facility improvements, capacity building and promotion over the three-year certification period. Each company will receive 9 million won in funding, and the city plans to pursue joint promotion and marketing campaigns in the second and third years.
The program goes beyond support for individual businesses, aiming to develop pet services as a specialized industry for Busan. The city says it will add the venue certification to existing support for startups, research and development and market expansion, building a service base that spans pet-friendly travel, dining, lodging, grooming and care.
After the certification ceremony, the city will hold a roundtable with the heads of participating businesses to hear their concerns and discuss follow-up policies.
"The pet economy is a vast blue ocean that can generate new vitality for the regional economy," Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said. "We will spare no support so that these certified venues, which passed a rigorous evaluation, can establish themselves as the leading players in Busan's advanced pet industry."