"Want to Stay Home with My Dog" 'Corona Chuseok'... Increasing Number of Pet Owners Spending Time with Their Pets

77% of Seoul Citizens "Plan to Stay in Seoul Throughout the Holiday"
1 in 4 Households Are Pet Families... Many Spend Chuseok Together
Experts Say "Increase in Pet Owners Spending Chuseok at Home Due to COVID-19"

Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, more pet owners are spending the Chuseok holiday at home with their pets. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] # Office worker Park Mo (27), who raises a pet cat and dog, purchased gifts for her pets in celebration of Chuseok. Park said, "This Chuseok, I can't go to my hometown anyway due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). I was reluctant to go anywhere, so I decided to stay home with my dog and cat." She added, "Still, since it's a holiday, I didn't want to spend it as usual without anything special, so I ordered traditional Korean clothes (hanbok) for pets and Chuseok snacks." She continued, "Instead of meeting in person, I plan to send photos of them wearing hanbok to my parents and acquaintances," and said, "Still, having these friends around will make it fun."

As the COVID-19 pandemic prolongs, more pet owners are choosing to spend Chuseok at home with their pets. With social distancing measures increasing the number of 'homebodies' (people who refrain from going out and stay at home), the ways of spending holidays at home are diversifying. In particular, as consumers who want to create a festive atmosphere with their dogs and cats increase, related industries are also releasing Chuseok products for pets.

Experts analyze that due to concerns about the resurgence of COVID-19, more pet owners are refraining from visiting their hometowns during the Chuseok holiday and choosing to spend the holiday at home with their pets.

According to a survey, 7 out of 10 Seoul citizens have no plans to visit family or relatives during the Chuseok holiday (September 30 to October 4).

Seoul City commissioned the polling agency Realmeter to conduct a survey on Chuseok holiday plans among 1,000 Seoul citizens on the 19th and 20th. The results showed that 67.9% of Seoul citizens answered they had no plans to visit family or relatives who do not live with them during the Chuseok holiday, and 77% said they would stay only in Seoul throughout the holiday. Additionally, 79.2% cited 'because of COVID-19' as the reason for not visiting.

As more consumers plan to spend the Chuseok holiday at home with their pets, related products are also gaining popularity. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The population raising pets is steadily increasing. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, as of last year, households raising pets in Korea accounted for 26.4% of all households, estimated to be about 15 million people. This means one in four households raises pets.

Moreover, due to the COVID-19 impact increasing time spent at home, interest in pets is also rising. This Chuseok, more pet owners plan to spend time at home with their pets.

Consequently, consumers who raise pets are purchasing toys, snacks, and other items needed to spend Chuseok together.

SSG.com, the integrated online mall of Shinsegae Group, announced that pet product sales increased by 43% in the recent week before Chuseok (September 11?17) compared to two weeks before last year's Chuseok (August 23?29).

During the same period, Gmarket's pet product sales also increased by 22%. Among these, sales of cat clothing including hanbok surged by 200%, and dog clothing sales increased by 20%.

Especially, various Chuseok pet products (clothing, food, supplements, toys, etc.) are being released. GS25 prepared four gift sets consisting of pet food, snacks, and dining sets, as well as hanbok and norigae (traditional Korean ornaments) sets for pets.

CU introduced pet dog and cat gift sets at various price ranges, featuring popular products from Harim Pet Food, a specialized pet food company.

Experts analyze that as consumers who want to spend Chuseok at home with their pets increase, related products are also increasing to meet demand.

Professor Lee Eunhee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies said, "Most people spend holidays meeting family or friends, but due to the COVID-19 situation, this has become impossible, leading consumers to worry about how to spend the long holiday." She added, "Consumers who raise pets are spending Chuseok at home with their dogs and cats. Thinking about how to create a festive atmosphere at home has led them to purchase Chuseok products for pets, which brings satisfaction." She further explained, "The industry is also developing and releasing related products to meet these consumer demands."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.