Hwaseong Special City Holds Second Animal Welfare Committee Meeting to Discuss Pet Care Center

Hwaseong Special City (Mayor Jeong Myeong-keun) held the "2026 Second Hwaseong Animal Welfare Committee" on the 18th to discuss the development direction of animal welfare policies.

The Hwaseong Animal Welfare Committee is an advisory and deliberative body for animal welfare policies composed of 15 experts from various fields, including heads of animal protection organizations, professors from animal protection-related departments, and private sector specialists. It is responsible for presenting opinions on the city's animal protection and animal welfare policies and providing consultation and deliberation on major projects.

During the meeting, the city shared △major updates on animal protection △plans for establishing a 'Pet Care Center' △plans for hosting the 2026 Hwaseong Pet Happiness Sharing Festival, and gathered diverse opinions from committee members on overall animal welfare policies.

In particular, regarding the plan to establish a 'Pet Care Center', the city discussed ways to respond to the diverse needs of citizens related to pet rearing and to operate facilities for creating an animal welfare environment where people and animals can coexist.

Additionally, the city shared implementation plans for the '2026 Hwaseong Pet Happiness Sharing Festival' scheduled to be held in November and exchanged opinions on ways to expand citizen participation and promote a mature pet culture.

Kim Jo-hyang, director of the Department of Agriculture, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said, "The Animal Welfare Committee is an important communication channel to reflect diverse opinions from the field in city policies," and added, "We will carefully review the diverse opinions presented at this meeting to respond to the needs of pet-rearing households and make specific animal welfare policies that allow people and animals to live in harmony."

Meanwhile, Hwaseong Special City's Animal Protection Division is operating dog parks and pet-related cultural events, and is implementing various animal protection and welfare projects, including a municipal pet treatment and adoption center, public-type animal hospitals, and support programs for pet protection for vulnerable households, to reduce the burden of pet rearing on low-income families.