Incheon Metropolitan City opens Companion Animal Welfare Center, offering integrated support from protection and adoption to education

【Financial News Incheon = Reporter Han Gap-su】 Incheon Metropolitan City is stepping up animal protection and adoption support in response to the growing number of pet-owning households, while promoting responsible pet ownership and a culture of coexistence.
Incheon Metropolitan City said on the 26th that it had opened the Companion Animal Welfare Center and would pursue animal welfare policies linking the protection of lost and abandoned animals with post-adoption care and public education. It will invest a total of 5.648 billion won in related projects this year.
As of 2025, about 392,000 households in Incheon owned pets, accounting for 29.2% of all households. That means about three in every 10 households live with pets.
The Companion Animal Welfare Center provides health checkups and vaccinations for lost and abandoned animals, socialization training, and adoption counseling. It also offers behavior modification and pet-care counseling after adoption to help animals settle in and prevent them from being returned. The center is also setting up a home-based temporary foster-care program for animals in long-term care and others. Full adoption services and public education will begin in November.
Efforts to protect lost and abandoned animals and support adoptions will also continue. By the end of September this year, 3,209 animals had been rescued and placed in care in Incheon, down 410 from the same period last year. The number of animals adopted also fell by 356 year over year, to 1,170.
The city will cover costs including veterinary care, vaccinations, and animal registration for adopted pets, and will carry out neutering procedures for dogs kept outdoors as well as a program for registering animals with implanted microchips. It plans to ease the burden of pet ownership by providing medical and other assistance for 249 pets belonging to vulnerable households.
The city will also expand education to promote coexistence between pet owners and non-pet owners. The center will offer classes on understanding dogs’ behavior, walking etiquette, and respect for life for children, and will organize citizen volunteer activities and field training for university students. It will also support neutering procedures for 5,175 stray cats and the installation of eight feeding stations, and plans to promote responsible pet ownership through animal-protection messaging on public transportation.
Mayor Park Chan-dae said, “I will make the Companion Animal Welfare Center an animal welfare hub where citizens can learn and participate together, going beyond the protection and adoption of lost and abandoned animals.”
[email protected] Han Gap-su Reporter