President Yoon Seok-yeol, the 'Tori Appa' and 'Nabi Jipsa'... Will 'Animal Rights' Gain Strength?

Yoon Cherishes 4 Dogs and 3 Cats Like Children
Familiar Image Through Deep Love for Animals
Controversial 'Dog Meat' Remark, but Pledge Includes 'Ban on Dog Meat Consumption'
Will Animal Rights Improve?... 'Attention'
Animal Groups: "Must Promote Animal Welfare as President Beyond Personal Level"

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and his companion cat Nabi. President-elect Yoon adopted and raised a rescued sick stray cat. Photo by TrueLoveCat, captured from Kim Min-kyung's blog.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party who has always shown special affection for pets, has drawn attention to his animal rights pledges following his victory in the 20th presidential election.

It is reported that President-elect Yoon and his spouse Kim Geon-hee have cherished and raised a total of seven pets?four dogs (Tori, Narae, Mari, Sunny) and three cats (Agengi, Nabi, Norangi)?like their own children at their home in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

◆ Yoon Seok-yeol’s child-like pets accompanied him throughout the election... Friendly image instead of 'tough prosecutor'

President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol and his pet dog. Photo by Tori Instagram capture.

During the presidential race, President-elect Yoon attracted attention by frequently sharing photos with his pets. Pictures of him lying comfortably on a bed with his face close to his pets or capturing their everyday moments helped create a warm and approachable image of Yoon, contrasting with his usual 'tough prosecutor' persona.

In the early stages of the campaign, Yoon operated an Instagram account called 'Tori'stagram.' Through this account, he humorously addressed the controversy over his 'legs spread apart' posture. In August last year, when Yoon was embroiled in the 'legs spread' controversy, he posted a photo of his dog Mari lying on her belly with her hind legs spread wide, captioned "Legs spread Mari." He added, "Please look forward to seeing me and Mari improve every day. Reducing by 0.1 cm daily." Through Mari, he explained that the legs-spread posture was a long-standing habit and promised to show improvement going forward.

However, communication with the public via Tori'stagram did not last long. In October last year, after controversy arose over Yoon’s remarks defending former President Chun Doo-hwan, he expressed regret and posted a so-called 'dog apology' photo on the account, which drew public criticism. As the controversy escalated, Yoon eventually shut down the account.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and his pet cat Nabi. President-elect Yoon adopted and raised a rescued sick stray cat. Photo by TrueLoveCat, captured from Kim Min-kyung's blog.

◆ Gained favor for adopting 'abandoned animals'

Among President-elect Yoon’s pets, except for two Bichon Frises, the other five are all adopted abandoned animals. As awareness about animal sensitivity has increased recently, the perception that adopting animals from pet shops selling factory-farmed dogs and cats is inappropriate has taken hold. This has increased public favor toward Yoon for adopting abandoned animals and raising them like children.

In particular, a blog post from 2017 by an abandoned animal rescue organization documenting the adoption of Yoon’s cat 'Nabi' was rediscovered by netizens, highlighting his animal-loving side. Nabi suffered from fungal skin disease and diarrhea at the time of rescue but reportedly fully recovered thanks to Yoon’s care. Tori, an abandoned dog, was also recommended for euthanasia after a traffic accident, but Yoon devotedly cared for her, subjecting her to 17 surgeries.

President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's pledge book includes a pledge to promote the prohibition of dog meat consumption.

◆ Criticized for 'dog meat' remarks... Pledge to ban dog meat consumption included in manifesto

President-elect Yoon has also expressed his love for animals through his pledges. His pet-related pledges include ▲introducing a standard fee system for pet medical care and reducing treatment costs ▲promoting service industries such as pet supplies, grooming, cafes, training, and funerals ▲strengthening the pet protection system by eradicating illegal 'puppy mills' ▲enhancing safety measures to prevent dog bites and other accidents ▲expanding rest areas to relieve pet stress ▲strengthening prevention and punishment of animal abuse and promoting animal protection education ▲and pushing for a ban on dog meat consumption.

Earlier, Yoon faced criticism for remarks about 'dog meat' during the People Power Party’s presidential primary. In November last year, during a debate on dog meat consumption, he said, "Dog meat consumption is not animal abuse; don’t they raise dogs for meat separately?" This logic of dividing dogs into edible and non-edible categories was criticized as inappropriate.

Animal protection groups demanded an apology from Yoon for his remarks, but he did not respond. Fortunately, his manifesto includes a promise to push for a ban on dog meat consumption. Lee Won-bok, head of the Korea Animal Protection Union, who has consistently criticized Yoon’s 'dog meat' remarks, emphasized that Yoon should raise his voice as a national leader to strengthen animal welfare beyond a personal level.

Lee said, "Our organization has requested nine times from November last year to March this year that President-elect Yoon retract his 'dog meat defense' remarks and apologize, but we have not received any response. I only recently found out that the pledge to 'push for a ban on dog meat consumption' is listed at the very end of page 187 of Yoon’s manifesto." He added, "It’s unclear whether this was drafted by Yoon’s campaign team or reflects Yoon’s own will. For credibility, Yoon himself needs to directly mention this pledge."

Lee continued, "Yoon is an excellent animal lover, but he is no longer an individual. Beyond simply loving animals, he must work on animal welfare as president." He added, "He should directly mention banning dog meat consumption to break the vicious cycle of animal cruelty involved in the dog meat tradition."

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