South Korea Reports 29.2% Household Pet Ownership

South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs reported Tuesday that 29.2 percent of households raised pets in 2025, with 80.5 percent of those households owning dogs and 14.4 percent owning cats. The first nationally approved pet-ownership survey found owners spend an average 121,000 won monthly and revealed welfare perception gaps and strong support (93.2 percent) for tougher animal-abuse penalties.